The University of Louisville unveiled Jim Patterson Stadium, a state-of-the-art multimillion dollar baseball facility located at the corner of Central Avenue and Third Street (3015 S. 3rd Street), on Friday, April 15, 2005 as the Cardinals hosted East Carolina in front of a crowd of 3,213, a U of L record at the time. After the stadium record was set at 4,211 in Louisville's NCAA Super Regional win over Oklahoma State in 2007, a new attendance record was set on May 30, 2009 as 4,605 fans watched Louisville earn an 8-2 win over Indiana in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium.
There was a pregame ceremony officially dedicating the stadium in 2005 featuring U of L graduate, former baseball team walk-on and local entrepreneur Jim Patterson, whose seven-figure donation spearheaded the drive to construct the ballpark. Dignitaries representing the University of Louisville, the athletic department and Commonwealth of Kentucky were also featured in the ceremony. Construction began on the facility in August of 2004 and it seats 2,500, including 1,500 chair-back seats and tiered berm seating area in left field. There is a main press box with two radio booths, a television booth and an AD suite. There is also ample room for future expansion and the addition of temporary seats for NCAA Championship games increasing capacity to well beyond 4,000.
The ballpark measures 330 feet down the lines, 375 to the power alleys and 402 to straightaway center, and a cutting-edge scoreboard in right field features an LED matrix scoreboard and a video screen. The playing surface is Field Turf, like Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays as well as Louisville's Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. The exterior has elements that mirror U of L's nearby football facility. The basement of the adjacent building includes the baseball offices, three full-size pitching/batting cages, full club house facilities with a players' lounge, theatre style team-meeting room, weight room, equipment room, computer lab, training room and laundry facilities, in addition to a rooftop overlook of the stadium. The Jewish Hospital/Frazier Rehab Center occupies the 2nd floor of the building. The first eight feet of the roof supports are constructed with green brick from the left field wall at historic Parkway Field, and infield dirt was taken from Parkway and placed in the batters box as a tribute to a facility that has seen the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Honus Wagner, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Satchel Paige, Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson among others.
The stadium was placed on display to a nationwide audience when the 2007 Super Regional between the Cardinals and Oklahoma State saw all three games televised on ESPN and ESPN2 to rave reviews. Fans poured into the stadium, establishing impressive attendance numbers. The 2008 off-season included a complete reconstruction of the berm, with terracing giving the fans a place for a lawn chair or blanket. Children of all ages can enjoy the playground beyond the fence in centerfield. In 2009, U of L hosted its first ever NCAA Regional at Jim Patterson Stadium with Indiana, Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt. On the opening day of the regional, the stadium and school record crowd of 4,605 watched as the Cards defeated the Hoosiers. The Cards went on to win the NCAA Regional with a title game triumph over Vandy. Admission to most home games at Patterson Stadium is free, and all areas of the park are accessible to those with physical disabilities. Jim Patterson Stadium Details
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