Weird high school baseball fields...
- Thread starter Maroon Eagle
- Start date
Ocean Springs in the late eighties was dropped on a plot of land that had an existing chain link fence that bordered the football stadium next door. Center field was 480 and left field was 300, maybe a little under.
In late 70s or early 80s, Madison-Ridgeland's fence used to be about 100 feet down the left field line due to the football bleachers and about 500 feet in center due to I don't know what. Also they had a white building behind the backstop. Outfielders couldn't pick up the ball at all
One of the schools down 49 south had a pine tree AND a light pole in left center with a steep hill in deep far left field.
I think it was Canton in 81, that didn't have a home run fence. We were beating them like 18-2 in the 2nd or 3rd and our center fielder hit one over their heads and he went all the way around the bases and back to first. He was ejected. The next year they had a row of metal 55 gallon drums as the fence.
There was another school down 49. In 80 we had a couple of guys who could stroke the ball. Before the game, a couple of the other team's players told us if you hit a homerun to left look out. House's backyards butted up to the fence. During batting practice, one of our guys hit a couple in a row over and bounced and hit a house. the guy came out with a shotgun and the game was delayed while the cops were called. They told us it happened from time to time. the old crazy guy was a relative to some super rich guy.
We played at Ocean Springs in 80, I think it still had those dimensions that Al mentioned. The fog rolled in about the 3rd inning and the outfielders couldn't see the batters at all.
One of the schools down 49 south had a pine tree AND a light pole in left center with a steep hill in deep far left field.
I think it was Canton in 81, that didn't have a home run fence. We were beating them like 18-2 in the 2nd or 3rd and our center fielder hit one over their heads and he went all the way around the bases and back to first. He was ejected. The next year they had a row of metal 55 gallon drums as the fence.
There was another school down 49. In 80 we had a couple of guys who could stroke the ball. Before the game, a couple of the other team's players told us if you hit a homerun to left look out. House's backyards butted up to the fence. During batting practice, one of our guys hit a couple in a row over and bounced and hit a house. the guy came out with a shotgun and the game was delayed while the cops were called. They told us it happened from time to time. the old crazy guy was a relative to some super rich guy.
We played at Ocean Springs in 80, I think it still had those dimensions that Al mentioned. The fog rolled in about the 3rd inning and the outfielders couldn't see the batters at all.
We played at Calhoun Academy and they didn’t even have a fence in the outfield… it was all you could get depending how fast you ran. And cows came in the field too…
I remember my older brother playing vs Ashland in early 90s and seems like part of theirs had no fence and the other was barbed wire bordering a cow pasture.
They had a girl on the team, he had a perfect game going till he walked her.
Haha I remember playing a game there. Our guy that ended up on a CWS team at state under Polk hit one out to dead center. I thought we went back to back but no, my slow *** was jogging and I only got a double.
The most unusual field I ever played at was I believe in Richland? I can’t really remember. Anyway, it was stout to left and center. First, and only, grand slam I ever hit was a way outside fastball to right field. The sign said 275 but I don’t believe it. Landed just over the fence into an emu grazing field. I was standing at first along with the runner on first when it went over. Just a high popup.
These are at high schools in Connecticut.
The weirdest fields I remember from my playing days were Bowling Green School in Franklinton, LA and Prentiss Christian in Prentiss, MS.
Down the left field line at Bowling Green it was about 290 with a 30 foot high fence made of what look like a shrimp net. If you hit over the shrimp net attached to the chain link fence below, it was a home run. At the top of the light pole in LF there was a huge bird’s nest with what we were told was an endangered bird so they couldn’t do anything about the nest. I think it was Ospreys maybe.
Never played baseball at Prentiss but we did play football there. During football season, the visiting bleachers sat right behind 2nd base. They moved it during baseball season and some orange construction netting was used as an outfield fence.
The weirdest fields I remember from my playing days were Bowling Green School in Franklinton, LA and Prentiss Christian in Prentiss, MS.
Down the left field line at Bowling Green it was about 290 with a 30 foot high fence made of what look like a shrimp net. If you hit over the shrimp net attached to the chain link fence below, it was a home run. At the top of the light pole in LF there was a huge bird’s nest with what we were told was an endangered bird so they couldn’t do anything about the nest. I think it was Ospreys maybe.
Never played baseball at Prentiss but we did play football there. During football season, the visiting bleachers sat right behind 2nd base. They moved it during baseball season and some orange construction netting was used as an outfield fence.
Funny story...A good friend of mine was named head coach at Prentiss Christian in the early 90s. He lived in the old house on campus. Late that summer he hosted a 10 keg - crawfish boil party and invited a bunch of us from Copiah County to come over. A good time was had by all, and I ended up sleeping on the bench in the third base dugout.
A couple of years later my dad recertified as a teacher and coach and accepted a job there. He served as assistant coach under Jack Bailey on the team that won the State A football title in 1993. My dad lived in that same house on campus for a while. Later I entered the world of football officiating, following in my dad's footsteps. He had retired from HS football and was charged with taking care of the officials on Friday nights. He always had a plate of homemade sandwiches and sweet tea ready for the officials during pre-game and halftime. Made that trip to PCS several times over the years.
My HS field in Tremont MS had a very short right corner, probably 275, because of a big drainage ditch. It was probably 325 by middle RF as the fence ran as deep as it could along the ditch until getting to regular depth. I think that is one reason coach put me in right as I have never been fast.
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