Grizzlies Ballpark

Grizzlies Ballpark is a minor league baseball facility in Sauget, Illinois, that serves as the home ballpark for the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League. Grizzlies Ballpark features reserved box seating, lawn seating, party suites, two hot tubs, and a section of bleacher seating. With the bleacher section added in 2004, the stadium's capacity has increased to 6,000 fans. In 2004, the Grizzlies became the first team in Frontier League history to draw over 200,000 fans for a season, finishing with a league best 217,500. ProGrass synthetic turf was installed in January 2012.

Grizzlies Ballpark

A group of students in the grandstand.
Grizzlies Ballpark Location within Illinois Show map of Illinois Grizzlies Ballpark Grizzlies Ballpark (the United States) Show map of the United States
Former names	GMC Stadium (2002–2005) GCS Ballpark (2006–2023)
Address	2301 Grizzlie Bear Blvd. Sauget, IL 62206
Coordinates	38°33′58″N 90°8′9″W
Capacity	6,000 (8,000 when bleachers expanded)
Field size	Left Field – 318 Center Field – 385 Right Field – 301
Surface	Synthetic Turf
Construction
Opened	2002 (2002)
Architect	Kuhlmann Design Group
Tenants
Gateway Grizzlies (FL) 2002–present

Grizzlies Ballpark was built in time for the start of the 2002 season, under the original name of GMC Stadium.^[1] It was renamed GCS Ballpark for the 2006 season.^[2] When that naming rights deal ran out before the 2023 season it became Grizzlies Ballpark.^[1]

Grizzlies Ballpark hosted the 2008 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship. The stadium hosts the annual wood-bat college baseball game between the Billikens of Saint Louis University and the Salukis of Southern Illinois University. The ballpark also serves as the home field of Webster University's baseball team. It was home field for the now-defunct Lindenwood University – Belleville.

Grizzlies Ballpark sells a unique food item called "Baseball's Best Burger", a variant of the Luther Burger. It consists of a bacon cheeseburger with a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut used as a bun.^[3] The ballpark and the burger were showcased in a special baseball-themed episode in season 2 of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food along with their nachos.

References

1. "New for 2023: Grizzlies Ballpark". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
2. Hefferman, Todd (July 11, 2006). "Grizzlies doing just fine without Major League affiliation". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved April 23, 2023. GCS Ballpark, known as GMC Stadium prior to this season,...
3. "Baseball's Best Burger". Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.

External links

• "Grizzlies Ballpark". Gateway Grizzlies. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
• "GCS Credit Union Ballpark". Webster University Athletics. Retrieved April 23, 2023.

Events and tenants
Preceded by Homer Stryker Field	Host of the FL All-Star Game GMC Stadium 2003	Succeeded by T.R. Hughes Ballpark