Red McEwan Field at USF Baseball Stadium - South Florida (USF)

General Admission

History

Opened in 2011 to replace the old Red McEwan Field, Red McEwan Field at the USF Baseball Stadium still keeps an old school feel. It shares a concourse with the USF softball field, and if you time it right, you would be able to see both teams playing at the same time from certain seats in the top of the 1,500 seat grandstand. Featuring natural grass, a large videoboard, and palm trees just outside the left field fence, it's a great coupling of good baseball and a south Florida feel.

Atmosphere

All seating behind home plate at USF are chairbacks, even in the general admission sections. In addition, there are berms down each baseline in case you want to bring a blanket and set up there. There is a small section of Adirondack chairs in left field, adding another layer on options in seating when catching a game. Shade is limited, which also means coverage for rain is limited, which matters when you're thinking about March baseball in Florida. The stadium features a large video board, and fans stayed engaged. Considering there was basketball being played right next door, fan support was pretty impressive. There's also a pop up stadium store right when you enter with things like hats and jerseys.

Concessions

Concessions wise, USF brings much more than your generic ballpark favorites - don't worry, though, they've got your hotdog and candy needs covered. They serve Coke products plus beer and seltzer, but where they really shine is in their nonstandard fare. They have build your own arepa bowls, as well as food trucks set up within the stadium from local coffee and restaurants. Definitely the kind of place where I'd recommend venturing our from your go-to hot dog.

Access

USF is not far from the interstate, which means that while driving to the stadium isn't hard from an access standpoint, it does mean that you'll inevitably end up in traffic. Leave extra time to arrive at Red McEwan Field, but once you get there, there is free parking directly across the street from the stadium. This is shared with the basketball arena, so keep that in mind if catching an early season game, but I was still able to find parking even on an event night.

Final Thoughts

Admittedly, USF is going on my return list - not because they have plans to update the stadium, but because there was lightning in the area and I left early due to a game the next day. I enjoyed my trip down to Red McEwan, and am excited to catch a full game there.