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Knights Stadium

Coordinates:35°3′9″N80°57′16″W/ 35.05250°N 80.95444°W/35.05250; -80.95444
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For the Melbourne Knights' home stadium, seeKnights Stadium (Melbourne).

Knights Stadium
The Castle
Map
Former namesKnight's Castle
Location2280 Deerfield Drive
Fort Mill, SC 29715
Coordinates35°3′9″N80°57′16″W/ 35.05250°N 80.95444°W/35.05250; -80.95444
OwnerYork County
OperatorCharlotte Knights Baseball, LLC
Capacity10,002
Field sizeLeft Field — 326 feet
Center Field — 400 feet
Right Field — 325 feet
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundFebruary 20, 1989[1]
OpenedApril 5, 1990
ClosedSeptember 2, 2013
DemolishedEarly 2015
Construction cost$12 million[2]
($28 million in 2023 dollars[3])
ArchitectOdell Associates[2]
Structural engineerGeiger Engineers[4]
General contractorMcDevitt & Street Construction Co.[5]
Tenants
Charlotte Knights(SL/IL) (1990–2013)
Big South Conference baseball tournament(1997–1998)
Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament(2000–2001)

Knights Stadiumwas abaseball stadiumwhich served as the home of theInternational League'sCharlotte Knightsfrom 1990 to 2013 and had a capacity of 10,002. The park was located across the state line fromCharlotte, North Carolina,inFort Mill, South Carolina.The stadium closed at the end of the 2013 season and the Knights moved toTruist Fieldin uptown Charlotte for the 2014 season.

Knights Stadium was easily accessible fromInterstate 77.Exit 88 (Gold Hill Road) connects the expressway with the stadium. Near the stadium is awater towerpainted to resemble a baseballon a tee,which can be seen from Interstate 77 and remains painted in that pattern as of the summer of 2023.

History

[edit]

The stadium was built toMajor League Baseballspecifications to be used should Charlotte land a major league team. It was designed to expand to 40,000 seats by completely or partially enclosing the outfield.

During construction, the Knights, then a member of the Class AA Southern League, played in an 8,000-seat temporary stadium known asKnights Castle.The present stadium was originally known as Knights Castle, but was renamed to Knights Stadium in the late 1990s. The stadium was still known among Charlotteans asThe Castle.[citation needed]

On July 13, 1992, the ballpark hosted theDouble-A All-Star Gamein which a team ofAmerican League-affiliated All-Stars defeated a team ofNational League-affiliated All-Stars, 4–3, before 4,009 people in attendance.[6]

The venue hosted the 1997 and 1998Big South Conference baseball tournaments,won byUNC GreensboroandLiberty,respectively.[7]It also hosted the2000and2001Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournaments,won byGeorgia TechandWake Forest,respectively.[8]

On July 4, 2007, a franchise record 15,427 fans attended the game between the Knights and theDurham Bulls.[9]This would be the exception rather than the norm for much of the new millennium, which saw sagging attendance. The stadium was located 20 minutes south of Charlotte, and many fans were reluctant to brave traffic onInterstate 77to get there.

The stadium hosted its last Knights game on September 2, 2013, a 4–0 Knights victory over theGwinnett Braves.[10]After the game, several longtime employees dug up home plate and each of the bases and presented them to team mascot Homer the Dragon. Homer then saluted Knights Stadium one last time, and boarded a helicopter bound for Uptown Charlotte andBB&T Ballpark.[11]In June 2014, York County sold the land toCato Corporation,a Charlotte-based retailer of women's fashions and accessories. The contract Cato signed permits them to use the land for any industrial, commercial or residential purpose. The stadium was demolished in early 2015.

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Knights' Shinn Ready to Break More Ground".Spartanburg Herald-Journal.February 10, 1989.RetrievedSeptember 16,2011.
  2. ^abCal Harrison (September 2, 1989)."Pinstripes to Adorn Knights Stadium".The Herald (Rock Hill).RetrievedSeptember 16,2011.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^1634–1699:McCusker, J. J.(1997).How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda(PDF).American Antiquarian Society.1700–1799:McCusker, J. J.(1992).How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States(PDF).American Antiquarian Society.1800–present:Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis."Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–".RetrievedFebruary 29,2024.
  4. ^"Karen Allen Lynch, P.E."Geiger Engineers, P.C. Archived fromthe originalon February 10, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 29,2011.
  5. ^"Rain Temporary Setback at Stadium".The Charlotte Observer.October 10, 1989.RetrievedSeptember 16,2011.
  6. ^Olson, Stan (July 14, 1992)."Walbeck Not Quite the Hero".The Charlotte Observer.Charlotte. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^"2011 Big South Baseball Record Book"(PDF).Big South Conference.pp. 20–22. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 2, 2013.RetrievedFebruary 18,2012.
  8. ^"2012 ACC Baseball Guide".Atlantic Coast Conference.Archived fromthe originalon May 19, 2012.RetrievedMay 29,2012.
  9. ^"IL News and Notes".International League. July 5, 2007.RetrievedJuly 5,2007.
  10. ^Charlotte Knights close out eraThe Charlotte ObserverSeptember 2, 2013[dead link]
  11. ^"FORT MILL: Fans turn out for last Knights game before move from Fort Mill | Local News | Rock Hill Herald Online".Archived fromthe originalon September 4, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 4,2013.
[edit]
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Knights Castle
 Home of the
Charlotte Knights
1990 – 2013 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Knights_Stadium&oldid=1255922014"