2022 Baseball Stadium Tour -- Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark

 Once I discovered that Arizona University was home, I started to look at other D1 college teams in the Phoenix area -- ASU and GCU. I knew ASU was not home. I wasn't sure if GCU even had a baseball team but it turns out there do. GCU or Grand Canyon University is a private university in Phoenix that just started making a name for itself in the last ten years or so. It also turned out that GCU was home when we were in Phoenix.

GCU plays at GCU Ballpark right on campus. Because GCU is in North Phoenix which is not the best of neighbors, you had to go past a security guard to enter the university campus. Parking was a breeze with a large parking garage right next to the baseball field. People were actually watching the game from the parking ramp.

Tickets were $5/person and it was all general admission. The seats were all stadium seats so no bleachers like Hi Corbett Field. 

The field actual opened in 1962 and had undergone a massive facelift in 2018. GCU Ballpark is a great place to watch a game especially once the sun goes down and it's not blinding you if you sit along the first base side. The hubby said he wouldn't mind coming to another game here in the future.

GCU played CSUN (Cal State University Northridge). It was a good game. GCU won 3-2. It was just a fun game. 

I found 2 things interesting. They had a prayer before the game started. I am not used to that in the college setting. I guess I don't go to many private collegiate games. They also had cheerleaders. I am definitely not used to seeing cheerleaders at baseball games. Mascots yes.. cheerleaders no. They did keep the fans entertained.

We will definitely keep GCU on our list of teams to see when we are down in Arizona. And for $5 it is cheap entertainment. 

2022 Baseball Stadium Tour -- Hi Corbett Field

 We were going to Arizona this year regardless if Spring Training happened or not. Baseball players were still locked out and spring training did not start on time. I had to come up with a whole new itinerary to keep us occupied for 3 days. I started exploring spending a day in Tucson. I thought Monday would be a good day since we weren't be rushed to get back to Phoenix. Well not a lot was open on Mondays that I wanted to see. Then I had an AHA moment. University of Arizona is in Tucson. They have a baseball team. Maybe they were home. Yup they were home.. on Sunday or Tuesday. We opted to go Sunday so we could go to a different game on Tuesday to maximize our baseball opportunities.

University of Arizona plays at Hi Corbett Field which is in a public park just off campus. Hi Corbett was built in 1937 and later renamed Hi Corbett Field after Hiram "Hi" Stevens Corbett who was influential in bringing spring training to Tucson. Hi Corbett field was home to the Cleveland Indians (1947-1992) and Colorado Rockies (1993-2010) spring training. Now they both play in the Phoenix area. Arizona started playing their in 2012.

The front of the stadium has been redone and no longer has a southwest flare to it. It still a nice stadium. 

We had general admission seats ($8/ticket) and sat along the first base side. We had a good view of the field. 

The game was a typical college game. Slow moving and bad pitching. Arizona played Texas State. Arizona was ranked yet Texas State was winning when we left. Lots of errors and a home run that was a called a home run but was clearly under the yellow line. 

It is a nice stadium. We would go back if we'd get a chance but are in no hurry. We'd rather see ASU play first. Tucson is 2 hours from Phoenix but when Spring Training is postponed and you need to find baseball for the hubby, you take what is out there.