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The Mini Met is home to the Jordan Brewers. The park is located near the train tracks that run through downtown Jordan, and if you’re there in the evening, you’ll hear the 6 o’clock train horn as it runs through town.
FILE PHOTO
Plenty of pristine, historic local Plenty of pristine, historic local ballparks
River Valley League is home to some of the best venues
BY TOM SCHARDIN
As president of the River Valley League, Ron Beckman has seen many town ball games at a lot of different parks.
There are 16 teams in the RVL, including the Chaska Cubs, the Chanhassen Red Birds, the Prior Lake Jays and Mudcats, the Jordan Brewers, Shakopee Indians and Coyotes and the Victoria Vics. And those teams facilities are all top-notch.
The Minnesota Baseball Association has 265 teams from Class A, B and C, so business seems to be booming, while the ballparks are bustling.
“The RVL is fortunate to have so many beautiful local ballparks that are all worth seeing a game at during the summer,” Beckman said.
Jordan has the Mini Met, while Prior Lake is home to Veterans Field at Memorial Park and Shakopee plays at Joe Schleper Stadium.
Chaska has historic Athletic Park, while Chanhassen, winners of the last four Class B state titles, is home to Storm/ Red Bird Stadium and Victoria plays at Poppitz Field.
Beckman said all six of these parks are unique in their own way. Here’s his take on each of them:
MINI MET
“Many ballparks are proud of their unique characteristics, as they should be,” Beckman said. “The Jordan baseball park just seems to have many of them.”
Beckman said as you drive into the park along the left field fence, you can see the viewing area that fans enjoy. The field sits below “like a stage.”
There’s the wooden grandstand that dates back multiple decades and actual dugouts that players step down into. Beckman loves the church steeple and clock in the distance over the right field fence, the manual scoreboard, the bluff of trees beyond the first base foul line and the train tracks that are parallel to the drive into the park.
“The train looks to be riding on top of the left field fence from certain angles,” Beckman said. “This park is worth a visit whether your are a baseball fan or not.”
ATHLETIC PARK
Beckman said Athletic Park in Chaska consistently draws large crowns and it’s easy to see why.
“They put a good product on the field,” Beckman said. “They have a wonderful surface to play on, and the fans hover over the field down both foul lines and in the grandstand to create a lot of energy for players to play in front of.”
JOE SCHLEPER STADIUM
Beckman enjoys the many viewing experiences at Joe Schleper Stadium in Shakopee. including the decks down both foul lines and the deck near the backstop on the first base side that’s shielded by netting.
Behind home plate is the large stadium seated grandstand.
“They have a giant press box that has been home to some great announcing over the years by legendary announcer Dick Jonckowski and Bill Schleper,” Beckman said.
VETERANS FIELD
The finished concrete areas surround Veterans Field in Prior Lake. There’s quality seating down the right field line where spectators can watch the game from lawn chairs.
“They typically have one of the more enthusiastic announcers at their games as well,” Beckman said.
STORM/RED BIRD STADIUM
Beckman believes the grandstand at Storm/Red Bird Stadium in Chanhassen is one of the more impressive viewing spots around.
FILE PHOTO
Fans enter Athletic Park in Chaska, many by foot, while others hope for a parking spot. Located at 725 West First Street, it’s the heart of baseball in the city.
“The grandstand is beautiful and gives an elevated view for fans to see the action,” he said. “They have spacious dugouts. There is almost a minor league feel to the grandstand that matches their extremely talented team.”
POPPITZ FIELD
“The changes made by the late Mike Poppitz were instrumental in the improved playing field and surrounding environment at the facility,” Beckman said of Poppitz Field in Victoria. “The surface has been immensely improved in the last decade, and the wooden fence and scoreboard are on par with their competitor fields.”
Beckman likes how standing down the lines in right and left field puts you near the action.
“It’s a great way to view a game at Poppitz,” he said.
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