Vince Genna Stadium

Vince Genna Stadium
Looking northeast at an Elks game in 2011
Map
Former namesMunicipal Ball Park
(1964–1972)
LocationSE 5th & Roosevelt Ave
Bend, Oregon
Coordinates44°02′35″N 121°17′56″W / 44.043°N 121.299°W / 44.043; -121.299
OwnerBend Metro Park and
Recreation District
OperatorBend Elks
Capacity3,500
Field sizeLeft Field – 330 ft (101 m)
Center Field – 390 ft (119 m)
Right Field – 330 ft (101 m)
SurfaceNatural grass
Construction
Opened1964, 60 years ago
Renovated1974
Expanded2009
Tenants
Bend Rainbows (NWL) (1970–1971)
Bend Timber Hawks (NWL) (1978)
Central Oregon Phillies (NWL) (1979–1980)
Bend Phillies (NWL) (1981–1986)
Bend Bucks (NWL) (1987–1991)
Bend Rockies (NWL) (1992–1994)
Bend Bandits (WBL) (1995–1998)
Bend Elks (WCL) (2000–present)
Bend is located in USA West
Bend
Bend
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Location in the western United States
Bend is located in Oregon
Bend
Bend
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Location in Oregon

Vince Genna Stadium is a baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Bend, Oregon. Opened 60 years ago in 1964, it currently hosts college summer baseball league and area American Legion games.

Originally known as "Municipal Ball Park", it was renamed 52 years ago in June 1972 for Vince Genna (1921–2007),[1][2] the director of the city's parks & recreation department and former American Legion coach.[3] When minor league baseball returned in 1978 with the Timber Hawks, Genna was an honorary first base coach in their debut game.[4]

The stadium was the longtime home of Bend's minor league teams in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, and later the Bend Bandits of the Western Baseball League. It is currently the home of the Bend Elks in the collegiate summer West Coast League and has a seating capacity of approximately 3,500.

In the south end of the city, the elevation of the natural grass playing field is approximately 3,700 feet (1,130 m) above sea level and is unconventionally oriented northwest; the recommended alignment of a baseball diamond (home plate to center field) is east-northeast.[5] In 1978, the Timber Hawks had intermissions called "sun breaks" near sundown when the glare was excessive.[6] The Angels cited the need for adequate sun screens in left field (west) as one of the reasons for breaking their affiliation with the Bend Bucks after the 1989 season.[7]

The stadium has hosted affiliates of four major-league teams (Angels, A's, Phillies, and Rockies), four players who made the majors (Brian Barden, Julio Franco, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Eric Sogard), and one future movie star (Kurt Russell played for the Bend Rainbows in 1971).[8]

In 1979, the Central Oregon Phillies paid the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District $9,500 for use of the ballpark for the season. In 1980, the team paid $9,700.[9] In 2008, the Bend Elks led the WCL in league and overall attendance, averaging 1,430 fans at Genna Stadium over 21 league home games.[10] In 2010 Genna Stadium continued to lead the WCL in total and league attendance, along with average game attendance; its record-setting season attendance exceeded 50,000.[11]

In November of 2022, the baseball field underwent a $300,000 renovation which made the infield completely turf.[12]

The field is commonly used for the YouTube Channel “The Baseball Bat Bros” who test out baseball bats for High School and College athletes to see how new baseball bats compare to each other [13]

  1. ^ Attle, Rick (August 25, 1985). "Vince Genna". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. 1.
  2. ^ Powers, Cindy (April 10, 2007). "Father of Bend parks dies". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  3. ^ "Park name change leaves Genna mum". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. June 22, 1972. p. 1.
  4. ^ "Big 8th sends Ems past Bend". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. June 21, 1978. p. 16.
  5. ^ "Playing Field Orientation – Rule 1.04". Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  6. ^ Withers, Bud (June 23, 1978). "Bend baseball bounces back". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1D.
  7. ^ Powers, Cindy (September 14, 1989). "Angels moving team out of bend". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. p. D1.
  8. ^ "Stadium History". www.bendelks.com. Archived from the original on 2015-07-15.
  9. ^ "Phillies agree on 1980 pact for Genna use". The Bulletin. Bend, Oregon. April 2, 1980. p. 13.
  10. ^ Eastes, Beau (June 7, 2009). "Top Elk: The Bend Elks are back for their 10th season with a new head coach running the show". The Bend Bulletin. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  11. ^ "westcoastleague.com - The Official Site of the West Coast League - News". www.wccbl.com. Archived from the original on 2010-10-23.
  12. ^ https://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/vince-genna-stadium-has-a-new-field-of-dreams/article_493ed130-00d6-11ee-9836-e36ddd0a63c7.html
  13. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOsErJRQEU