Southwest University Park

Baseball park in El Paso, Texas, US

Southwest University Park

The field in August 2021

Southwest University Park

Location within Texas

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Southwest University Park

Location within the United States

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Full name| Southwest University Park [1]
Location| 1 Ballpark Plaza
El Paso, Texas
United States
Coordinates| 31°45′32.5″N 106°29′33.6″W﻿ / ﻿31.759028°N 106.492667°W﻿ / 31.759028; -106.492667
Elevation| 3,750 feet (1,140 m)
Public transit|  El Paso Streetcar
at Cleveland Square
Owner| City of El Paso
Operator| MountainStar Sports Group
Capacity| 7,500 (fixed seating)
9,500–10,000 (plus additional seating)[2]
Field size| Left field: 322 ft (98 m)
Left-center field: 392 ft (119 m)
Center field: 406 ft (124 m)
Right-center field: 384 ft (117 m)
Right field: 322 ft (98 m)[2]
Construction
Broke ground| May 30, 2013[3]
Opened| April 28, 2014[8]
Construction cost| $78 million[4]
Architect| Populous
MNK Architects, Inc.[5]
Project manager| International Facilities Group, LLC[6]
Structural engineer| Walter P Moore[5]
Services engineer| Henderson Engineers, Inc.[5]
General contractor| C. F. Jordan/Hunt[7]
Tenants
El Paso Chihuahuas (PCL/AAAW) 2014–present
El Paso Locomotive FC (USLC) 2019–present

Southwest University Park is a ballpark in El Paso, Texas. It is the home of the El Paso Chihuahuas, a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League, and El Paso Locomotive FC, a second-tier USL Championship team since its inaugural season in 2019. Opened in 2014, the facility has an official capacity of 9,500, with 7,500 fixed seats, with the rest being berm and party deck standing room sections.[3][2]

The name "Southwest University" is applied to the stadium to recognize its corporate sponsor, Southwest University at El Paso, a for-profit virtual college that does not sponsor intercollegiate athletics.[9] Southwest University Park was named as the best new ballpark in 2014 by Ballpark Digest.[10] The elevation of the playing field is approximately 3,750 feet (1,140 m) above sea level.

## History

[edit]

The complex is situated upon the site of El Paso's former City Hall, which was demolished by implosion on April 14, 2013, to make way for the stadium.[11] Former El Paso mayor Ray Salazar had filed a 2013 lawsuit to stop the demolition of the old City Hall, alleging the misuse of public funds by city officials, but the lawsuit was dismissed in court.[12][13]

Ground for the ballpark was broken on May 30, 2013, with 300 people attending the event, including members of MountainStar Sports Group, the ownership group of the El Paso Pacific Coast League team, Pat O'Conner, president and CEO of Minor League Baseball, and City Representatives Ann Morgan Lilly, Susie Byrd, Cortney Niland, and Steve Ortega.[14]

On March 5, 2014, it was announced that the team had signed a 20-year naming rights deal for the ballpark with Southwest University, an El Paso based business and technical school known until 2012 as Southwest Career College.[9][15] (Southwest University is not the same institution as the University of the Southwest located in Hobbs, New Mexico.)

In January 2017, Southwest University Park was selected as the host site for the 32nd Triple-A All-Star Game, to be played in July 2019.[16]

In August 2018, Southwest University Park was awarded the title of "Best View in the Minors" by Minor League Baseball fans. The El Paso park topped Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, and Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits, in the voting.[17]

## Features

[edit]

The design theme is based on the Union Depot and incorporates architectural details found in the region's historic buildings, such as the Kress Building in Downtown El Paso. It also pays tribute to the city's baseball history through various forms of art.[18]

Some of the notable features of the ballpark include:

* A 360 concourse
* 46,000 square feet of floor space on the concourse level
* 24 luxury suites
* 500 club seats in the Dugout Club, Concourse Club and WestStar Bank Club
* Team office space and retail store
* Party decks/zones
* Multiple restaurants and food stands
* Kids Zone
* Outfield seating
* Diversified food options

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Officials Present Southwest University Park" (Press release). Minor League Baseball. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
2. ^ a b c "Ballpark Guidelines". El Paso Chihuahuas. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
3. ^ a b Ramirez, Cindy (May 29, 2013). "Downtown El Paso Ballpark Groundbreaking Today". El Paso Times. Retrieved February 8, 2020 - via Milb.com.
4. ^ Kolenic, Vic (March 19, 2018). "Southwest University Park brings 'buzz,' but not magic wand for Downtown revitalization". El Paso Times. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
5. ^ a b c "Ballpark Concept Videos Added to City's Website". El Paso Development News. December 2, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
6. ^ Ramirez, Cindy (December 13, 2012). "El Paso City Council Approves Consulting Contract for Downtown Ballpark". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
7. ^ Ramirez, Cindy (January 6, 2013). "El Paso City Council to Award Baseball Stadium Contract". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on August 27, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
8. ^ "El Paso home opener pushed back". El Paso Chihuahuas. February 7, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
9. ^ a b "Officials Present Southwest University Park". El Paso Chihuahuas. March 5, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
10. ^ Reichard, Kevin (November 14, 2014). "2014 Best New Ballpark: Southwest University Park". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
11. ^ Ramirez, Cindy (June 14, 2013). "Downtown El Paso Ballpark Investors Want to Pay $12.1M More Toward Stadium". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
12. ^ Ramirez, Cindy (April 28, 2016). "Former Mayor Ray Salazar dies at 85". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
13. ^ "Editorial: Farewell to El Paso Mayor Ray Salazar". El Paso Times. May 2, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
14. ^ Ramirez, Cindy (May 30, 2013). "300 Celebrate as Downtown El Paso Ballpark Breaks Ground". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
15. ^ Borunda, Daniel (March 6, 2014). "El Paso Chihuahuas ballpark to be named Southwest University Park". El Paso Times.
16. ^ "All-star game coming to Southwest University Park". El Paso Inc. January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
17. ^ "THE BEST View in the Minors (MiLB) - Vote Now!". TheBallparkGuide.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
18. ^ Ramirez, Cindy (January 31, 2013). "El Paso Ballpark Will Reflect Union Depot Design". El Paso Times. Retrieved August 27, 2013.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Southwest University Park.

* Venue website
* City of El Paso Ballpark Page
* Ballpark Digest Preview
* Ballpark Fact Sheet

* v
* t
* e

El Paso Locomotive FC

* Founded March 1, 2018
* Based in El Paso, Texas

Key personnel|

* Owner/President: Alan Ledford
* General Manager: Andrew Forrest
* Head Coach: Wílmer Cabrera

Stadiums|

* Southwest University Park (2019–present)

Rivalries|

* Copa Tejas

Seasons|

* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* v
* t
* e

Ballparks in the Pacific Coast League

East Division|

* Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
* Constellation Field
* Dell Diamond
* Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park
* Southwest University Park

West Division|

* Cheney Stadium
* Greater Nevada Field
* Las Vegas Ballpark
* Smith's Ballpark
* Sutter Health Park

* v
* t
* e

USL Championship venues

Eastern
Conference|

* Al Lang Stadium
* Carroll Stadium
* Highmark Stadium
* Keyworth Stadium
* Lynn Family Stadium
* Patriots Point Soccer Complex
* Pitbull Stadium
* Protective Stadium
* Segra Field
* Centreville Bank Stadium
* Trinity Health Stadium
* WakeMed Soccer Park

Western
Conference|

* Cardinale Stadium
* Cashman Field
* Championship Soccer Stadium
* Heart Health Park
* ONEOK Field
* Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium
* Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park
* Lexington SC Stadium
* Oakland Coliseum
* Southwest University Park
* Toyota Field
* Weidner Field

Future|

* Eleven Park
* Harder Stadium
* Iron District Stadium
* Maimonides Park
* Ozark United Stadium
* Pro Iowa Stadium
* Queen City Field
* Railyards Stadium

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