A new era at Frank Eck Stadium began in January of 2000, as a 9,000-square foot indoor hitting and pitching facility was completed in time for preseason workouts. The facility – located adjacent to the leftfield line – includes: wall-to-wall artificial turf floor; three full-length batting tunnels; two regulation clay pitching mounds (above right) within the tunnels; a one half-cage with clay home plate area for catchers drills; and an “Iron Mike” pitching machine, with automatic ball feeder and remote control. The 120 x 80 facility includes men’s and women’s restrooms and a classroom for video analysis. The building is outfitted with complete central air conditioning and heating, plus a lighting setup that matches Major League standards. A final addition is six cardiovascular exercise machines–including two stair masters, three stationary bicycles and a treadmill–which allow maximum conditioning opportunities. The Irish combine use of the new indoor facility (for pitching, hitting and catching) with the existing Loftus Center (used primarily for defensive fundamentals and baserunning).
• Eck Stadium – with its distinctive tree-lined outfield – is the place to be on a warm spring day. It seats 2,500 spectators and has played host to a number of important conference and national matchups during its first 16 seasons.
The scoreboard at Eck Stadium received a face lift in 2001 with a state-of-the-art message board made possible by the generous gift of former Notre Dame catcher Jim Montagano and his parents Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Montagano of Elkhart, Ind. The Amber AF-4110 Galaxy 64-shade Message Center measures 24 by 144 feet, provides up to three lines of text and can process imported graphics and in-game statistics and display them by a multitude of animated patterns. The board also can display a running clock and serve as a marquee to promote events.
• Notre Dame has ranked among the national attendance leaders every year since 2002 (average attendance of 1,379) – followed by 1,143 in ’03, 1,762 in ‘04, 1,990 in ’05, 2,513 in 2006 (the top average in Eck Stadium history), 1,958 in ‘07, 1,260 in ‘08 and 1,342 in ‘09.
Eck Stadium boasts one of the finest press box facilities in the nation. Located directly behind home plate, the press box can be outfitted to comfortably seat 25 staff and media members. The press box provides a panoramic view of Eck Stadium, in addition to the outlying athletics fields that feature practice sessions and games involving the Irish football, soccer, lacrosse and track and field teams. Other amenities within the press box include a restroom and storage area, plus a series of video monitors that provide real-time game stats and updated season stats for each player as the game progresses. One other addition beginning with the 2000 season was an enclosed, near-soundproof radio booth within the press box.
• Seven of the top eight Eck Stadium crowds all came in the 2006 season vs.: Rutgers (3,507, then 3,221 and 3,275 in that April 21-23 series), Louisville (3,185; May 7), St. John’s (3,052 doubleheader and 3,101 in series finale, on April 13 and 15), and vs. Pittsburgh (3,028; March 31). • The stadium record was set in 2007 when 3,927 watched the Irish rout WVU on April 21. Other top crowds have included: 2,900 vs. Arizona State (April 26, 2002); 2,839 vs. Connecticut (May 19, 2007); 2,816 vs. Connecticut (April 26, 2003); 2,714 vs. Louisville (May 6, 2006); 2,631 vs. Connecticut (May 18, 2007) and 2,606 vs. Oakland (May 10, 2005).
Eck Stadium’s spacious clubhouse area is used year-round by the Irish baseball team. Adorned with full-size lockers for each player and coach, the clubhouse includes an entertainment center and lounge area, plus a room utilized as a staff lockerroom and office.
Notre Dame’s Eck Stadium Record 1994................ 29-7 (.805) 1995................ 27-6 (.818) 1996................ 23-5 (.821) 1997................ 25-2 (.926) 1998................ 22-7 (.759) 1999................ 23-6 (.793) 2000................ 20-7 (.741) 2001................ 24-6 (.800) 2002................ 26-3 (.897) 2003................ 23-5 (.821) 2004................ 24-7 (.774) 2005............. 23-4-1 (.839) 2006................ 21-4 (.840) 2007.............. 17-10 (.630) 2008................. 14-6-1 (690) 2009................... 16-9 (.640) Total....... 357-94-2 (.790)
Loftus Sports Center Notre Dame baseball players also utilize the indoor facilities of the Loftus Sports Center, located 300 yards north of “The Eck.” Dedicated in 1988, Loftus houses Meyo Field and the Haggar Fitness Complex, which augments weightlifting areas in both the Joyce Center and the Rockne Memorial Building as one of the most comprehensive free-weight lifting and exercise machine facilities in the country. Meyo Field is a 100yard Prestige Turf field surrounded by a six-lane, one-fifth mile long track. The cutting-edge Prestige Turf field allows for fully simulated infield practice and the facility includes a netting system to handle indoor batting practice.
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