Lawrence–Dumont Stadium - Wichita, KS

[milladrive]

Team: Wichita Wingnuts
Affiliate: None
Seating Capacity: 6,400

Dimensions:
LF 344
CF 401
RF 312

Year Opened: 1934

Former Notable Players: Carlos Beltrán, Chris Chambliss, Johnny Damon, Octavio Dotel.

From Wikipedia:

Lawrence-Dumont Stadium is a stadium in Wichita, Kansas. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Wichita Wingnuts independent baseball team. It was built in 1934, underwent renovations in 2001 which brought improvements to the stadium sound system, new infield turf, a new outfield fence with tables behind it, and fresh paint to the seating area. The stadium was again renovated in 2011. It holds 6,400 fans and was one of the few stadiums in the world that features a natural grass outfield with an astroturf infield. This would change during the April 2011 renovation when the entire field (including the grass outfield) would be replaced with ATG Sports Industries, Inc. RamTurf. Other changes included all new lights, exterior cosmetic improvements,new infield turf, dugout expansion, and improvements to the concourse areas.

It was home to the Wichita Wranglers minor league baseball team. The Wranglers left Wichita at the end of the 2007 season and moved to Springdale, Arkansas, where the team was renamed the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The Wichita Wingnuts now play at Lawrence-Dumont.

Wikipedia has further info if interested.

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[Chevy114]

I heard the Blue Jays triple A team has the same thing where the outfield is grass but the infield is turf to get used to the skips off the turf that are harder for infielders to deal with, is that true?

[milladrive]

Some more pics...

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[milladrive]

I heard the Blue Jays triple A team has the same thing where the outfield is grass but the infield is turf to get used to the skips off the turf that are harder for infielders to deal with, is that true?

I know it's true about the design, and I would surely think it's true that it would be harder to deal with defensively. I really can't imagine why anyone would design a ballpark with grass in the outfield yet artificial turf in the infield. We touched on it once in the College thread. It's what got me intrigued by this park.

[jfran32492]

The National Baseball Congress plays its tournament there every summer for two weeks. With a lot of use in such a short time, and factoring in the summer weather in Wichita, it made sense to have at least the infield consist of turf. Now, with the entire field converted to turf, they can play as much and as often as they like. Just my .02 :-) I grew up in Wichita, and watched many, many games there. My 81 year old father played high school football at this stadium! A great place to see a game, and a great view of the city.

[Capital City Goofball]

Great thread milladrive! Here's some interesting little tidbits about the National Baseball Congress tournament:

NBC World Series in Wichita: 17 games in 56 hours!
by Daniel Dodd

For two weeks every August, some of the nation's best college and amateur players come to compete in front of equally dedicated, knowledgeable and rabid spectators. "Dedicated" is one way to describe watching 17 games in 56 hours in the blazing Midwestern sun, which is what you're in for if you sign up for "Baseball 'Round The Clock," which starts Friday. Don't worry, when you're not worshipping at the altar of 2 a.m. squeeze plays or responding to the audio cue to check in and prove you are still present, a non-denominational service is provided Sunday morning in case you have a religion other than baseball. If you need supplies for your marathon weekend -- pillows, deodorant, an excuse to change your mind -- you might be able to find them while bouncing around town like a pinball taking advantage of "buy-outs," in which local merchants sponsor designated game nights and give away free tickets (thank you El Mexico Café!).

[doug217]

That's a very nice view beyond the outfield.

[Paul W]

I heard the Blue Jays triple A team has the same thing where the outfield is grass but the infield is turf to get used to the skips off the turf that are harder for infielders to deal with, is that true?

more likely done for maintenance cost reasons, same as comiskey in early 70's.

pix of cashman field in vegas, jays aaa no carpet...

http://www.milb.com/team1/page.jsp?ymd=20051103&content_id=32744&vkey=team1_t400&fext=.jsp&sid=t400

pix of dunedin ballpark, with 2 extra infields. the one beyond lf is now the same astroturf as the dome, field in foreground is fieldturf...

http://www.stadiumsusa.com/stadium/Florida-Auto-Exchange-Stadium-34698/Dunedin+Blue+Jays

[Capital City Goofball]

Old carpet:
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New carpet:
Lawrence-Dumont Stadium 01.jpg

[milladrive]

Wow, look at the difference. I can't help but wonder if the infield and/or warning track are made of the same material only with a different color.

[Capital City Goofball]

Wow, look at the difference. I can't help but wonder if the infield and/or warning track are made of the same material only with a different color.

Yes, the infield, outfield, and warning track are all synthetic turf. The mound is dirt... A few pics I took this past weekend during the NBC Tournament:

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[milladrive]

See, I'll never understand that. Especially the warning track. The whole idea of the warning track is to give the outfielder a warning that he's coming close to the wall when he's looking up while tracking a fly ball. He is supposed to feel the difference of the texture under his feet (i.e., going from grass to dirt) so that he can be warned that the wall is approaching. Why even bother to make that row a different color if it's made up of the exact same material? Makes zero sense to me, and, imo, can be quite dangerous for outfielders.

Too bad, 'cause otherwise I think it's a really nice ballpark.

P.S. I like the red, white, and blue bases that match the color scheme of the stands.

[Capital City Goofball]

A pic from the Santa Barbara Foresters facebook page:

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[Phantom Dreamer]

At least from this view, Lawrence Dumont's synthetic field looks pretty much like the real thing, especially the "dirt".

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[Phantom Dreamer]

The 2015 National Baseball Congress tournament is already underway on the banks of the Arkansas River at historic Lawrence-Dumont Stadium! It seems like the tournament begins earlier every year. Summer is almost over as soon as it began.