By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Recently, the blog Stadium Journey ranked what it considered to be its top 25 college baseball stadium rankings and Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex cracked the list's top five, tying for fourth in the list.
The site visited all of the NCAA Division I college baseball stadiums to compile its rankings and compiled its results using what it calls its FANFARE system – food and beverage, atmosphere, neighborhood, fans, access, return on investment and extras.
Clemson's Doug Kingsmore Stadium took the top spot, followed by LSU's Alex Box Stadium, Florida State's Dick Howser Stadium, and South Carolina's Founder's Park and Tech's Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex tying for fourth.
Jacksonville State's Jim Case Stadium was the other Ohio Valley Conference venue on the list coming in at 19th.
The site reviewed Tech's complex in May 2018, while the Golden Eagles were in the midst of their historic 52-13 campaign. Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex opened in 1978 and its grandstands hold 1,100 fans for events.
Going through the site's scale, from a low of 1 to a high of five, here's what Stadium Journey had to say about Tech's facility:
- Food and beverage: 5. The site noted a wide range of baseball staples, while also putting the lowest impact on the fan with "by far the lowest costs we have found for concession items at any ballpark."
- Atmosphere: 5. The site called Tech's atmosphere electric. "Fans fill the stadium no matter who Tennessee Tech is playing, as there is no admission charged for baseball games. … The noise level during an offensive rally can be deafening, and it has to be intimidating to the visiting team."
- Neighborhood: 4. The stadium is on the edge of campus and the site noted Cookeville's location, nestled between Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga, as well as several attractions in the area.
- Fans: 5. The site's recap read: "The academic year had concluded before the game we attended, and the stadium was still packed and noisy. We can only imagine what the stadium would have been like had the students still been on campus. The bleachers are filled with so many gold and purple outfits you would think it was Mardi Gras. … Cookeville is a small town with no minor league baseball, and the locals see the baseball program as a source of civic pride. We noticed a wide demographic of age groups in attendance and the free admission to the games and low concession prices certainly remove any economic barriers to coming out to enjoy a nice spring afternoon at the ballpark."
- Access: 4. The review noted how easy the field was to get to from the interstate, as well as how the stadium's amenities were easily accessible.
- Return on Investment: 5. "You will see a quality baseball team perform with no admission charge, no charge for parking and very reasonably priced concessions. Lodging in Cookeville is very affordable for those needing overnight accommodations. It does not get any better than that," the site raved.
- Extras: 5. Once again, the site's review glowed about no admission to the games, as well as concessions and noted that the game program dispensers were innovative.
Fans can read the site's full Top 25 rankings here and the complete review of Bush Stadium at the Averitt Express Baseball Complex here.
