Carroll B. Land Stadium on the Point Loma Nazarene University campus was recently named “America’s Most Scenic Ballpark” by Major League Baseball.

PLNU was recently highlighted by MLB.com with a “Look inside America’s most scenic ballpark” (https://www.mlb.com/news/the-most-beautiful-baseball-field).

Nestled on the seaside cliffs of Point Loma, no other collegiate baseball park can match the picturesque views and comfortable setting of the school’s oceanside field of dreams.

Coaches, players, and fans marvel at the beautiful park and its magnificent surroundings. The immaculate green grass of the diamond is framed by the blue sky and sea. The park’s cozy dimensions are offset by the prevailing winds blowing in off the ocean.

The ball field has helped to recruit a strong team to Point Loma, which boasts an impressive 27-3 record, and is ranked No. 3 in the nation in the latest NCAA Division II poll.

“I think the field is the best it has been, and it’s the best team we’ve had,” said Steve Riddle, PLNU assistant athletics director. “Our goal is to make sure that anytime recruits come, the field is up to par. If they get to play on it, in a tournament or a prospect camp, we try to make sure that it is game-ready.”

It was sportswriter Kevin Kernan of the San Diego Union-Tribune who, charmed by PLNU’s baseball facility, originally christened it in a 1993 article as “America’s Most Scenic Ballpark.”

The university’s ball field recently has undergone changes to enhance both the field and spectators’ views. The university padded some of the outfield walls, but kept left-center and right-center field as chain-link fence (referred to as the “windows”) so spectators can watch the baseball game – and the ocean – at the same time.

Though the ocean appears to be right on the other side of the outfield fence, it actually is a quarter-mile away. So any home runs leaving the field can be recovered without underwater gear.

One unique aspect of this ballpark is that although the stadium is small, it is difficult to get the ball up and out of the park. “We get an on-shore breeze most days, so that makes the park play a lot bigger,” said Riddle, who also manages the university’s athletic facilities, in an MLB interview. “We used to have guys that would come in and say, ‘Oh man, I’m gonna hit three home runs today.’ But then there’s always the smart guy on the team, and the smart guys say, ‘Dude, the wind’s blowing in. You’re gonna hit nothing but popups.’”

In addition to the incredible views, the turf has also been meticulously cared for by a turf specialist who learned his craft from a Petco Park groundskeeper, making it one of the smoothest playing surfaces in college baseball.

Back in 1998, at the National Baseball Coaches Association’s banquet at San Diego’s Downtown Marriott, athletic director and baseball coach Land, about to be inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame, had no inkling he was about to receive another major honor. The picturesque field that’s tucked into the southwest side of the Sea Lion campus had been named Carroll B. Land Field after the legendary coach and administrator.

“I thought I knew what I was going to say up here,” said Land. “Now it seems I struggle to find the words … how to say thank you to my institution, out of love and gratitude for the opportunity to serve. This job has allowed me to become part of something far more important than being involved in a great sport. I’ve had the opportunity to influence and be part of the lives of young men. It’s an incredible opportunity, but, more than that, a tremendous responsibility.”

CARROLL B. LAND STADIUM

Before relocating to Point Loma in 1973, Pasadena College had no on-campus baseball field. The team played its home games at Arcadia Park, Victory Park, and Brookside Park in Arroyo Seco. So from 1961 to 1973, head coach Carroll Land carried out a college baseball program without a field.

After the college took over the present campus from Cal-Western-USIU, it inherited the Point Loma school’s ballpark. While Land and the university were happy to have a field of their own, many improvements needed to be made.

The remainder of the ’70s saw retaining walls installed along the left and right field lines, eliminating the numerous and annoying ground-rule doubles lost in the ice plant that grew within feet of the foul lines. The precarious steps that led to the dugouts, or “dug ups,” were replaced by ramps and 270 sheets of plywood reinforced the dilapidated wooden fence. The facilities continued to improve dramatically when the six-foot-high “dug-ups” were replaced with field-level dugouts.

In the ’80s, a concession stand and restrooms were built and the wooden fence was replaced with the present chain-link one. In the 1990s, the facility took on its most dramatic remodel. Thousands of yards of earth were removed and much-needed multiple batting cages and a simulated pitching zone were built.
The field continued to be refined over the years. A new scoreboard was added; seats that replaced the concrete benches were installed; a club-view seating box over the home dugout was built; the height of the protective backstop was doubled; the grassy festival seating area down the right-field line was quadrupled; a 2,800-foot observation deck was built on top of the new athletic training clinic, and a new batter’s eye and announcing booth were installed.
Fittingly, in 1998, the park was named Carroll B. Land Stadium honoring the man who guided the program for 39 years. It was his dedication and hard work that transformed the park from a literal diamond in the rough into the gem it is today.