Hunnicutt Field - Princeton Rays

Princeton Rays

Hunnicutt Field 205 Old Bluefield Road Princeton, WV 24740	Opened: 1988	Capacity: 1,950	Elevation: 2,394'

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Hunnicutt Field Facts & Figures

The stadium was built around a pre-existing high school baseball field. The original structure, which was built in 1988 with wooden bleachers salvaged from the city's old high school football stadium, was demolished in September 1998. The current stadium structure dates to 2000, as only a partially completed version of it was used during the 1999 season.

Original construction cost: $274,343

Renovation cost: approximately $3 million

Financing: the original cost was privately paid for by members of the community while the renovation was fully financed by the Hunnicutt Foundation. So no public funding was used.

The design/build team for the renovated (and thus current) stadium was Stafford Consultants (design) and Swope Construction (general contractor).

Named after Harold P. Hunnicutt, a prominent Princeton businessman and benefactor, who died in 1991. H.P. Hunnicutt, as he went by, primarily made his fortune from a Pepsi-Cola bottling franchise that he began in Princeton in 1938 and sold to a national bottling company in 1983. In 1987, he established the H.P. and Anne S. Hunnicutt Foundation as a means to give back to the community (his wife's name was Anne). Since its founding the Princeton-based charitable foundation has provided funding for numerous civic projects, including the city's library, performing arts center, football stadium and, of course, ballpark, which is officially named "H. P. Hunnicutt Field."

Owned by the Mercer County Board of Education.

Operated and maintained by the Princeton Baseball Association, a nonprofit organization that relies almost exclusively on volunteers. In addition to the ballpark, the Association is responsible for operating the Princeton Rays on behalf of the team's owner, which is its major league affiliate, the Tampa Bay Rays.

Does not have any suites.

The four light poles behind the outfield fence are made of wood and they are all that remain from the stadium's original construction.

The playing field was reconstructed prior to the 2011 season by Carolina Green, a North Carolina-based company that specializes in athletic field construction. The field rebuild then included a completely new playing surface that was regraded to meet professional baseball standards. Additionally, a new drainage system was installed beneath the field, which was resodded with grass grown in New Jersey while the infield mix came from Pennsylvania and the warning track material was brought in from Alabama.

Also serves as the home field for the Princeton High School Tigers baseball team.

Ballpark Firsts

First game: June 21, 1988; the Burlington Indians beat the Princeton Pirates, 14-4, with 1,526 as the announced attendance.

Official ballpark firsts (all of which occurred on 6/21/88):

Pitch Batter Hit (single) Home Run Winning Pitcher Losing Pitcher

Jeffrey Kuder Vince Barranco Todd Butler Sean Baron Greg McMichael Jeffrey Kuder

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