Lanphier Park
Coordinates: 39°49′01″N 89°38′11″W / 39.817074°N 89.6364°W Lanphier Park is a stadium in Springfield, Illinois. It is primarily used for baseball. It originally opened in 1928 and was renovated in 1977. It holds 5,000 people. The facility's full name is Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park. Roberts (1926–2010), a Hall-of-Fame pitcher and a graduate of Lanphier High School, was Springfield's most accomplished ballplayer.
The field has been home to a number of minor league teams. The AAA American Association Springfield Redbirds played there from 1978 to 1981. Two affiliates in the Class-A Midwest League also called Lanphier home; the Springfield Cardinals and the Springfield Sultans, as well as an independent Frontier League team, the Springfield Capitals. Earlier teams who played intermittently at the stadium in its youth included the Class-B Springfield Senators and Springfield Browns, both of the Three-I League.
In December 2007 it was announced that baseball would return to Springfield, Illinois. The Springfield Sliders debuted in the CICL (Central Illinois Collegiate League) and won the league championship in their first season. It would be the final CICL championship, as the league was disbanded and its teams (including the Sliders) now a part of the Prospect League.
The stadium also sees considerable use hosting local school baseball teams, including the Benedictine University at Springfield Bulldogs, and the Lanphier High School Lions, the latter of which neighbors the municipal athletic complex the stadium is situated upon.
Preceded by Branch Rickey Stadium |
Home of the Springfield Capitals 1996 – 2001 |
Succeeded by Marinelli Field |
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