Facilities :: Hoglund Ballpark

Hoglund Ballpark will enter its 25th season as the home of the Jayhawk baseball program in 2012 and continues to undergo improvements to ensure it remains one of the finest college baseball facilities in the Midwest. The park is named after former Jayhawk Forrest Hoglund, who played at Kansas from 1955-56.

During the summer of 2010, the Jayhawks overhauled the grass playing field in favor of AstroTurf USA’s 3D playing surface. The entire field is covered in turf, with a different color and grade on the basepaths, at home plate and on the warning track. The pitcher’s mound is the only area with real dirt.

The $1.2 million project was funded entirely through private donations to the baseball program, in an effort which began prior to the 2009 season.  KU also made minor modifications during the off-season, adding a state-of-the-art sound system as well as safety screens around the entire seating area.

In 2009, the Jayhawks made the addition of a clubhouse on the first base side of the field. The 6,500-square foot clubhouse features a locker room area, a lounge for the student-athletes as well as a game day patio for fans.

The season was also a banner year for the Jayhawks as “The Hog” saw some of the best baseball in KU history. The Jayhawks won 25 games at home in 2009, including a three-game sweep of No. 1 Texas in March. KU also swept a series from No. 17 Oklahoma State and drew a record 2,639 fans to the regular season finale win over No. 11 Kansas State.

Recently, the Jayhawks have added a state-of-the-art video board and also made improvements with new lights and a new backstop netting. The video board, which measures 16 feet-by-28 feet, rivals any in the country.

The Hoglund Indoor Hitting Facility, which was completed in 2006, features three 75-foot full-length batting cages and three portable pitching mounds. The all turf facility is 105 feet long by 54 feet wide and is heated and air conditioned for year-round use.

In recent seasons, the foul lines were brought in 20 feet to make new dimensions of 330-392-330, while both dugouts and the backstop were refurbished with brick. Additions at the conclusion of the 2003 season included turf walkways to the plate, as well as a turf ring that surrounds the home plate area.

Prior to the 2003 season, construction was completed on five new turf batting cages down the left field line, while a new home bullpen was constructed and a blacktop surface added to the right field bullpen area.

Before the 1999 season, $1.8 million in renovations were made in an effort to improve Hoglund Ballpark. Seating capacity was increased, a new pressbox was built, dugouts were expanded, additional men’s and women’s restrooms were added and a plaza entrance is now featured. A gift from Forrest Hoglund primarily funded the renovations.

In 1990, a new backstop netting was installed, which replaced a chain link structure and improved spectator sight lines. A batter’s eye in center field and picnic area behind the left field fence were constructed just before the start of the 1992 campaign.

In 1987, more than $450,000 in renovations were made to the Jayhawks’ home facility, which was referred to as Quigley Field at the time. In addition to the closed deck bleacher seating, a new press box, restrooms, concession stands, public address system, computerized scoreboard and lighting were installed. A major gift from Hoglund and Neil Mecaskey funded the stadium improvements and the lighting.

For 27 years, Quigley Field was the home of the Jayhawks. Built in 1958, the field was named after one of the most successful athletics directors in Kansas history, Ernest C. Quigley. KU athletics underwent a major resurgence under Quigley from 1944-1950.

Quigley himself was a well-known figure in the sports world. He spent 33 years as an unpire in the National League and worked six World Series. He also was a nationally known football and basketball official. In these capacities, he worked three Rose Bowls, 19 AAU basketball tournaments and an Olympic Basketball Tournament.

A Message from Forrest Hoglund

"The University of Kansas is a great institution that has achieved its status through a combination of state support and private philanthropic funding. Ever since we were students, Sally and I both hoped to participate in that tradition, and one of my interests was baseball.

"My vision is for Kansas to have a first-class baseball program. One of the big needs we had was to create an outstanding ballpark to play in, one that would make the players, recruits, coaches, fans and students proud. That need provided the incentive to give the gift to make the ballpark a reality. An innovative architectural design and a premier location on campus also helped us to meet that goal."

Forrest E. Hoglund
Chairman and CEO (retired), Enron Oil and Gas Company
Jayhawk Baseball Team 1954-56