Lincoln City Ballpark; A Community Effort And A Treasure Of Memories

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The Lincoln baseball field has a grand 62 year history..As far as we know it is called the Lincoln City Ballpark. Like many such structures, it has been a work in progress to what it is today. There is a beautiful, fairly new scoreboard (2020) overlooking right field. The other one is still standing behind left field. The old one gave up the ghost as they say.

There is a recently beautifully carved 12' or so Cardinal before you reach the entrance.

Parking is along the street or across the way leading to the softball field. Most fans have realized not to park too close behind the stands as a foul ball might find their windshield.

High school teams, grade schoolers and summer leagues have used the field over the years. The high school team has hosted several tournaments during the season. Teams across the state have graced its confines over the years..

BCE EIC Adam Howe thought it might be a good idea to do a series of articles on the older ballparks in Benton County. If you have information on the other structures, please contact us.

I need to thank Marlin Hammond and Will Lynde for the following information. We guessed at some of the dates but they are very close to being correct. We apologize if we have left off any names of folks who may have contributed to the building of the park over the years. So without further ado, let's begin.

In 1962-63 a group of Lincoln citizens including Clarence Frisch, Ray McCubbin, Harold McCain and Oliver Wright gave the city land to build a city park and baseball field. A field, with lighting, and bleachers were then constructed.

There was no fence to enclose the field nor were there dugouts for the players. In May of 1981 a concession stand with storage room was added. In 1985/86 dugouts were placed adjoining the field. In 1984/85 a fence was erected to enclose the field. Additional lighting was added in 1992/93 with several local citizens each contributing $150.00 to buy a light for the field.

In 1998, a batting cage was erected next to the field. More lighting was added in 2018.

In 2012, the fence enclosing the field was replaced and the dimensions of the field were increased.

The current dugouts were replaced to old ones in 2014. The backstop was replaced in 2015 with new and more netting. The current scoreboards were installed in 2020. Other improvements to the field included enclosing the lower part of the grandstand bleachers and constructing additional restrooms and storage areas.

So the next time you are at a game in Lincoln remember that a community came together to build a stadium that has brought enjoyment to thousands of kids and fans over the years.