Feb. 8 Opening of Reckling Park to Draw Record Crowd

Feb. 8 Opening of Reckling Park to Draw Record Crowd

Rice News

Reckling Park, the Rice Owls’ new baseball stadium, will open Feb. 8 before the largest home field baseball crowd in Rice’s history, almost 5,000 people. It’s not too late for members of the campus community to get a free ticket for this historic event.

A 1:30 p.m. dedication will be followed by a 2 p.m. game between the Owls and the University of Houston Cougars. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 nationally in preseason polls. The Owls were ranked seventh by Collegiate Baseball; UH has been ranked as high as sixth.

On hand for the celebration will be baseball members of Rice’s hall of fame and many of the former Owls who are currently playing professional baseball, including Houston Astros rising star Lance Berkman ’98.

The event will feature plenty of fanfare: A parachute team will descend to deliver the game ball to the stadium’s major benefactor, Tommy Reckling ’54, who will be standing on the pitcher’s mound. Reckling Park will be decorated with red, white and blue bunting. Commemorative programs, caps and baseballs will be sold.

Mike Pede, assistant athletic director for marketing, says he expects a complete sellout. The stadium has 3,021 permanent seats, and with temporary bleachers, the stadium can hold almost 5,000 people.

Designed by Jackson & Ryan Architects, the state-of-the-art facility is built on the site of Cameron Field. With its arched galleries and architectural detailing, the pink brick stadium pays homage to Lovett Hall, the Physics Building and other campus structures.

Reckling Park features an impressive new scoreboard equipped with a radar gun display that will show fans the velocity of each pitch.

For the Feb. 8 grand opening game, Rice faculty, staff and undergraduate students are entitled to one free ticket, which can be obtained in advance at the Rice Athletic Office located in Autry Court. The deadline for picking up the ticket is Feb. 7.

For any other home game this year, free admission can be obtained by presenting a Rice faculty, staff or student identification cards at the stadium gate on game day.

For the Feb. 12 Owls baseball game at Reckling Park, the Office of University Relations is throwing a party for residents of University Place, the confederation of neighborhoods surrounding the campus. At noon, the invited University Place residents will be treated to hot dogs and Cokes inside a welcome tent before watching the 1 p.m. Rice-Nebraska game for free.

For more information call the Rice athletic ticket office at (713) 348-4068.