ROY HELSER FIELD

Roy Helser Field, together with Jim Wright Stadium, has developed from a belowaverage facility to a jewel among Northwest small colleges.

The facility has served as host of the 2009, 2010 and 2012 NCAA Division III regional playoffs and is again one of eight designated regional host sites in 2014.

One important addition was construction of a partially enclosed and fully covered batting practice structure, called “Carney’s Cages” in honor of longtime baseball coach Scott Carnahan. This spring, a project is underway to expand the batting cage space to include an enclosed weight room.

A major change took place in 2008 when the grass infield was replaced with a FieldTurf artificial playing surface. Drainage was improved and construction of covered, enclosed batting cages on the venue site was undertaken. Prior to the 2013 season, the dirt pitching mound was also replaced with artificial turf to match the infield surface.

In 2000, outdoor lighting was added to the field. Musco lighting systems were installed in the fall of 2000 to give more flexibility in scheduling while enhancing the facilities and allowing for NCAA post-season competition. Outdoor lighting provides additional opportunities for McMinnville-area youth teams during the summer.

Wright Stadium was added to Helser Field in 1990, replacing portable aluminum bleachers and a chainlink backstop.

On May 25, 1991, Linfield dedicated its newly completed baseball stadium at Roy Helser Field in honor of Jim Wright, his wife, Sondra, and parents Edith (Hall) Wright of McMinnville and the late Neale Wright, class of 1929. Jim Wright, a retired Portland businessman, provided a large portion of the funding for the new stadium.

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The Records

Linfield entered the week at 9-11 overall and 6-7 in Northwest Conference play. The Wildcats played at Willamette on Wednesday in a nonconference game. Lewis & Clark occupies the No. 4 spot in the NWC standings at 16-7 overall with a 6-5 conference mark.

Linfield At A Glance

The Wildcats are batting .280 as a team. Branden Pasion leads all qualified Linfield batters with a .347 batting average and a .468 on-base percentage. Jake Hoskins has 29 hits, including three home runs, to go with 13 RBI. Bodey Smith owns a .414 on-base percentage as the Wildcats’ new leadoff man. John Over is coming off his best two starts of the season, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out 10 batters.

LEWIS & CLARK AT A GLANCE

The Pioneers split a doubleheader with Puget Sound before taking a break from NWC play to claim two of three games against NAIA Bushnell. Jack Thomson leads Division III with 12 home runs and 31 walks. He’s batting .384 with a .603 on-base percentage and a .932 slugging percentage. Will Heron ranks fifth in the nation with 32 RBI. Luke Ritter is 3-0 on the mound with 39 strikeouts and a 3.38 ERA in seven starts.

The Series

Linfield is 137-60 in the all-time series with Lewis & Clark, averaging 6.9 runs per game. That record includes an 81-28 mark at home. The Wildcats won 19 straight games between the 2009 and 2015 seasons. Last season, the ‘Cats and Pios split their season series 2-2.