 The field in July 2015 | |
 | |
  Stanford Location in the United States  Stanford Location in California | |
| Former names | Sunken Diamond (1931–2008) |
|---|---|
| Location | Stanford University Stanford, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°25′55″N 122°09′32″W / 37.432°N 122.159°W |
| Owner | Stanford University |
| Operator | Stanford University |
| Capacity | 4,000 |
| Field size | Left Field: 335 feet (102 m) Center: 400 feet (122 m) Right Field: 335 feet (102 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Opened | 1931 |
| Tenants | |
| Stanford Cardinal (NCAA DI Pac-12) 1931–present | |
Klein Field at Sunken Diamond is a college baseball park on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California. It is the home field of the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference.
The stadium was built 93 years ago in 1931 and has a seating capacity of 4,000.[1] When the adjacent football stadium was originally built in 1921, dirt was excavated from the site of the future baseball stadium, which created a "sunken" field a decade later. Originally just known simply as Sunken Diamond, the field was renamed in 2008 to honor Stanford athlete and donor Bud Klein (1927–2011) and his family.[2][3][4]
In 2012, college baseball writer Eric Sorenson ranked the facility as the fourth best setting in Division I baseball.[5] In 2013, the Cardinal ranked 39th among Division I baseball programs in attendance, averaging 1,747 per home game.[6] The playing field at Sunken Diamond has an unorthodox alignment, with the batter and catcher facing south. The recommended orientation of a baseball diamond is east-northeast.[7]
- ^ About Klein Field at Sunken Diamond Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine at gostanford.com, URL accessed October 24, 2009. Archived 10/24/09
- ^ "Stanford To Play Non-Conference Game At No. 18 California Tuesday" (Press release). Stanford Department of Athletics. March 4, 2008. Archived from the original on January 18, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ^ "Long-time supporter Bud Klein passes". Go Stanford. May 6, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ Fawthrop, Wendy Jalonen (September 2011). "Thank him for coolers". Stanford Alumni Magazine. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ Sorenson, Eric (5 October 2012). "Distiller's Dozen - The "Hey, Nice Stadium" Edition". CollegeBaseballToday.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ^ Cutler, Tami (June 11, 2013). "2013 Division I Baseball Attendance - Final Report" (PDF). Sportswriters.net. NCBWA. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- ^ "Objectives of the Game - rule 1.04". Major League Baseball. Retrieved August 3, 2015.