| Montpelier Recreation Field | |
| Location: | Worcester Branch Road and Baseball Drive, Montpelier, Vermont, USA |
| Coordinates: | 44.2794°N -72.5725°W |
| Built: | 1940 |
| Surface: | Natural grass |
| Scoreboard: | Electronic |
| Capacity: | 1,200 |
| Dimensions: | Left Field: 307feet Left Center Field: 347feet Center Field: 419feet Right Center Field: 340feet Right Field: 311feet |
| Tenants: | Vermont Mountaineers (NECBL) (2003-present) |
Montpelier Recreation Field is a baseball venue located in Montpelier, Vermont, United States and is the home field of the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The field has served as home of the Mountaineers since 2003.[1]
The field was constructed in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration,[2] with support from the depression-era Federal Government, featuring a 1,200 seat capacity grandstand (which is still in use today) and bleachers down the firstbase and thirdbase lines.[3] In the first decade of its existence, starting from 1941, it was home to the Montpelier Senators and, later the Twin City Trojans.
During this time the Robin Roberts played at Rec Field for the Twin City Trojans. He remembers his time at the Rec Field fondly: "It was a great experience ... you can't imagine a guy that age having a better summer then we had in Vermont."[4] "We were really good then. I won 17 straight starts that year in Vermont."[5] In 1976 he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.[6]
When the league folded in 1952 Rec Field endured a half-century without a professional tenant. This ended in 2003 when the New England Collegiate Baseball League voted to award a franchise to a local Montpelier baseball group.[7] Since then the Rec Field has been the home of the Vermont Mountaineers, enjoying high attendances and success on the field, with the Mountaineers reaching the post-season numerous times, winning the NECBL championship in 2006, 2007, and 2015. The Mountaineers are consistently one of the best teams in the NECBL, and set the record for wins in a season in 2022 with 32 wins. The Mountaineers reached the NECBL Finals in that year, before falling to the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. The Vermont Mountaineers have produced over 50 Major League players, including A.J. Polluck, Tyler Rogers, Nick Martinez, and Stephen Strasburg.
In their inaugural season the Mountaineers enjoyed the highest average attendance in the league and have consistently been near the top of the league in this category since.[8] [9] [10]
| Season | Game Avg. | League Rk. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1,666 | 1st | |
| 2004 | 1,643 | 3rd | |
| 2005 | 1,707 | 2nd | |
| 2006 | 1,754 | 2nd | |
| 2007 | 1,518 | 3rd | |
| 2008 | 1,720 | 3rd | |
| 2009 | 1,350 | 3rd | |
| 2010 | 1,038 | 4th | |
| 2011 | 1,743 | 3rd | |
| 2012 | 1,498 | 2nd |