Dickey-Stephens Park
- Name: Dickey-Stephens Park
- GPS-able Address: 400 W. Broadway St., North Little Rock, AR 72114
- Ballpark Owner: City of North Little Rock
- Architects: HKS; Taggart Foster Currence Gary
- Groundbreaking: 11/30/2005
- Minor League Baseball Teams: Arkansas Travelers (AA) 2007-present
- Class/League History: AA/Texas League 2022-present; AA/Double-A Central 2021; AA/Texas League 2007-2020
- First Professional Baseball Game: 4/12/2007; stadium debut of Class AA Travelers
- Other Current Tenants: Arkansas Travelers Museum
- Previous Ballpark Names: Northeast Delta Dental Stadium 2012-2020; Merchantsauto.com Stadium 2006-2011; Fisher Cats Ballpark 2005
- LF: 332 CF: 400 RF: 330
- Seats: 10,300
- Stated Capacity: 10,300
- House Baseball/Softball Record Attendance (as currently configured): 10,512, 5/15/2012
Dickey-Stephens Park, in North Little Rock, AR, is the home of the Arkansas Travelers, the Seattle Mariners' Double-A Texas League farm team. It also hosts the Arkansas Travelers Museum.
After more than 70 years at Ray Winder Field in Little Rock proper, the Travs moved across the Arkansas River in 2007.
Starting in 2010, the University of Arkansas Razorbacks have played one non-Southeastern Conference game per year at D-S. The only exceptions were the Coronavirus pandemic cancellations. The event has drawn at least 10,000 five times - something the Travs have never done - including the house baseball record 10,512 in 2012. Including their 2023 loss, the Hogs are 10-2 in the series.
Late in the old park's tenure, the Travs underwent a series of franchise shakeups. The ten years of trouble subsided in 1966 and the stability seemed to have been extended with the opening of this riverside park. However, there have been problems - mostly sinkholes and upgrades. Because of what has been described as paying for choosing beauty over stable ground by building so close to the Arkansas River, the facility has been intermittently plagued by sinkholes that first appeared in 2016. Time will tell if that problem was solved with a 2022 project. Meanwhile, MLB's 2021 Minor League Reorganization mandated facility standards that will require further improvements. The city and club are working through who will pay for them, and how. While both sides say "nobody wants the Travelers to leave" no solution has been announced.
D-S is named for two pairs of brothers: Arkansas-reared Hall of Famer Bill Dickey and his brother George played for the Travs and in MLB; Jack and Witt Stephens were developers whose family donated the land. In fact, both Dickeys worked for the Stephenses' company.
In July of its first season, a foul ball killed Tulsa Drillers first base coach Mike Coolbaugh - Organized Baseball's last participant death.
On July 19, 2011, two visiting Northwest Arkansas Naturals pitchers combined on a no-hitter in the same game that their defense turned a triple play.
Current ballparks in the Texas League | |||||||||
North Division | South Division | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arvest Ballpark | Dickey-Stephens Park | Hammons Field | ONEOK Field | Riverfront Stadium | Hodgetown | Momentum Bank Ballpark | Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium | Riders Field | Whataburger Field |
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