Capacity: 6,193
Year Opened: 2000
Highlights: Premier college baseball facility, 9 suites, spacious press box and radio spaces other schools have tried to follow Rice baseball’s lead, building bigger and more expensive stadiums, but Reckling Park remains among the best venues in college baseball. The 2018 season was the Owls’ 19th at the stadium. Rice has won an eye-opening 77 percent of its more than 600 games at Reckling Park since opening for the 2000 season.
The facility is in fact better than ever after its most-recent renovations that benefit both the student-athletes and fans. In the on-going commitment to player development, the enclosed batting cage area down the right-field line has been upgraded with expansion and remodeling. The true-blue fans meanwhile will be sure to flock to the newly renovated ‘Roost’ on the first base side for hospitality that’s second to none.
There have been upgrades in one form or another every year. Last season there was state-of-the-art upgrade to the scoreboard and video display. Rice University and Daktronics teamed to bring a greatly enhanced video presentation with the installation of a new 1,000 square foot LED video display that is among the largest in college baseball.
In 2016 the sports medicine area underwent a full renovation. The training room features hot and cold whirlpools, doctor’s examination rooms and offices, all to ensure the student-athletes undergo any treatments in the very best environment. Four seasons ago, a custom wood trophy case befitting the program’s storied success was installed in the front office. The stadium conference room was also remodeled to include program accolades and oversized murals of some of the best players in school history.
In 2013, a display honoring Owl great Philip Humber’s major league perfect game was added near the front entrance. Other renovations over the years included the remodeling of the team’s locker room, weight room and fan areas. A new playing surface and state-of-the-art drainage system, as well as a padded outfield wall and warning track that surrounds the entire field, were added to improve player safety. A classic black cast-iron fence that circles the perimeter was another addition.
There may not be many other hills in the city of Houston, but in 2008 a grass berm and bleachers were added beyond the left field wall. These improvements give Rice student-athletes a venue befitting its status as one of the top programs in the nation. Large crowds, like the more than 9,000 fans that came to watch the home series against national power Stanford last season, are not uncommon.
The park features a picturesque setting on the Rice campus facing the famous Texas Medical Center, the comfort of the more than 3,700 chair back seats (most with cup holders) and nine private suites. There are spacious locker rooms and the best press box in college baseball. Every visitor has raved about Reckling Park.
On game day, the Owls and their guests use some of the largest dugouts in the country. Visiting teams and umpires also have use of large, functional locker room areas. That umpire facility was dedicated to the memory of Earl “Lefty” Graham, a longtime umpire in the Houston area and the father of the former Rice head coach.
Fans continue to flock to the stadium. Rice has averaged more than 3,100 fans per game the last eleven seasons, ranking among the top draws in the nation. Those fans have access to a host of wide concession areas, a large novelty shop and clean restrooms.
For the media, the Reckling Park press box may be the largest in an on-campus stadium in the country. There are three radio booths, a television booth/photo deck and an area for more than 30 working writers and game personnel. In addition, the press box includes a large interview room, hospitality areas and a workroom for game officials.
Located on the southwest corner of the university campus near Tudor Fieldhouse, Reckling Park was built on the site of Cameron Field, Rice’s baseball home from 1978 through 1999. The old stadium was demolished at the close of the 1999 season and work began immediately on Reckling Park - which measures 330 feet down the lines, 400 feet to center field, and 375 feet to the power alleys.
A then-sellout crowd of 4,117 watched the first game played in the new park in 2000. The Owls’ 36 wins in 2002 stands as the most home victories in Rice history. Guy Jackson of Jackson & Ryan Architects, a Rice alumnus and former baseball letterman, was the principle designer of the stadium, and it was built by MinerDederich Constructors.
