Joe Wolfe Field

Joe Wolfe Field is a baseball field in North Adams, Massachusetts, United States. The field is home to the North Adams SteepleCats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league based in New England.[1] The park was built in 1986, with the SteepleCats first utilizing the facility at their inception in the 2002 NECBL season.[2] It has a seated capacity of 1,800 spectators, with additional seating and standing areas located down either foul line.[2] The dimensions of the field are 325 ft. down the lines, 358 ft. in the gaps, and 385 ft. in dead center field. The park faces south in the Noel Field Athletic Complex. The field is lighted for night play with 8 light poles.[3]

Joe Wolfe Field
"The Joe"
LocationState Street, North Adams, Massachusetts, USA
Coordinates42.693228°N 73.113°W / 42.693228; -73.113
Capacity1,800 (seated)
Record attendance6,714 (July 4, 2006 SteepleCats vs. Holyoke Giants)
Field size325 feet (LF)
358 feet (LCF)
385 feet (CF)
358 feet (RCF)
325 feet (RF)
SurfaceNatural grass
ScoreboardElectronic
Construction
Built1986
Tenants
North Adams SteepleCats (NECBL) (2002–present)
MCLA Trailblazers baseball (NCAA DIII MASCAC) (2012)
Drury High School and Charles H. McCann Technical High School baseball teams

In 2012, the Division III MCLA Trailblazers baseball team of the nearby Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts played three home games at Joe Wolfe Field.[4] The facility is also used by the baseball teams of Drury High School and Charles H. McCann Technical High School, both located in North Adams. Joe Wolfe Field also hosts other youth sports leagues.[3]

History

Joe Wolfe Field was built in 1986 on the site of Noel Field. Noel had served as North Adams' main baseball venue for decades, but its grandstand and playing surface had become outdated. In building Joe Wolfe, a new grandstand and lighting structures were added, and the field itself was renovated.[2]

Then-mayor of North Adams John Barrett III and local sports figure Joe Wolfe were key to fundraising for and building the park. When Wolfe died in November 1986, shortly after the field's construction, Barrett and others involved in the development decided to name the field after Joe Wolfe. In addition to his involvement in the field's construction, Wolfe played semi-professional baseball, coached youth teams, and worked in local sports organizations.[2]

In 2005, the field was renovated. An electronic scoreboard and concession stand were added, and the backstop was improved.[2]

6,714 fans attended a July 4, 2006, game against the Holyoke Giants, won by Holyoke 3–2. The attendance mark is an NECBL record for regular season, postseason, and All-Star games.[5]

The field hosted the 2007 NECBL All-Star Game. The visiting South Division All-Stars won the game, which was attended by 4,210 fans.[6]

SteepleCats attendance

The following is a list of North Adams SteepleCats attendance figures at Joe Wolfe Field dating back to the team's inception in the 2002 season.

SeasonGame Avg.Season TotalLge. Rk.
2002[7]90819,0874th
2003[8]87417,4965th
2004[9]1,35528,4574th
2005[10]1,24926,2305th
2006[11]1,09522,9956th
2007[12]1,09623,0315th
2008[13]1,12426,6244th
2009[14]1,02520,5116th
2010[15]68814,4416th
2011[16]96919,3866th
2012[17]82417,3115th
201391318,2645th
201473114,6295th
201580516,9025th

Notes
  1. About the SteepleCats URL accessed November 30, 2008
  2. Zmudzien, Rick. "Joe Wolfe Field: Home of the SteepleCats". SteepleCats.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  3. Joe Wolfe Field gallery URL accessed December 13, 2008
  4. Puleri, Jeffrey (March 20, 2012). "MCLA Baseball Opens at Joe Wolfe Field". iBerkshires. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012. MCLA has partnered with the city of North Adams to play at Joe Wolfe Field in the heart of the city.
  5. NECBL Record Book at necbl.com, URL accessed May 2, 2010. Archived May 2, 2010
  6. South All Stars vs North All Stars (Jul 22, 2007) at necbl.com, URL accessed May 2, 2010. Archived May 2, 2010
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NECBL team statistics archive; URL accessed December 21, 2008
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved December 21, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NECBL team statistics archive, URL accessed December 21, 2008
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved December 22, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NECBL team statistics archive, URL accessed December 22, 2008
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved December 27, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NECBL team statistics archive, URL accessed December 27, 2008
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2008.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NECBL team statistics archive, URL accessed December 27, 2008
  12. http://www.necbl.com/2007webstats/pd.htm#team.gms Archived May 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine NECBL team statistics archive, URL accessed December 20, 2008
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) NECBL team statistics archive, URL accessed December 27, 2008
  14. Team Statistics 2009 Archived July 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at necbl.com, URL accessed August 1, 2009
  15. Team Statistics 2010 at necbl.com, URL accessed June 17, 2011
  16. "2011 NECBL Season – Attendance". NECBL.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  17. "2012 NECBL Season – Attendance". NECBL.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
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