Evans Diamond opened in 1933 and is named after Clint Evans, baseball coach from 1930 to 1954. In 2006 the park was enhanced with the addition of the Carl J. Van Heuit Training Facility, which houses weight and training equipment. Also added were the Jeff Kent batting cages and the Stuart Gordon indoor and outdoor bullpens. The left-field and right-field walls are decorated with graphics depicting many former Cal ballplayers. The scoreboard, small and basic, is located in right field.
FAST FACTS
Year Opened: 1933
Capacity: 2,500
Dimensions: 320L, 365LC, 395C, 365RC, 320R
Website: calbears.com/sports
Phone : 800.GO.BEARS
Conference: Pac-10
Surface: Grass
Text and Photos By: John Moist
Directions/Parking: The University of California, Berkeley campus is located 2 miles east of San Francisco Bay, in the hills overlooking the colorful City of Berkeley. From I-80, take University Avenue East. Go 2 miles east up University Avenue until it ends at Oxford Street, then right on Oxford for 3 blocks, then left on Schlessinger Way. Evans Diamond is one block up on your right, behind a wall (It’s not visible from the street). Parking is difficult on weekdays, and you may have to go right off Oxford to look for parking. However, on weekends and after 5 p.m. on weekdays you can get a $5 permit at the Schlessinger ticket machine for on-campus parking.
All the seats are backless benches, except for a few with backs behind third base. These appeared to be occupied with scouts.
A patio was added behind third base, adjacent to Haas Pavillion, home of Cal Basketball. All games are day games, as the Evans Diamond does not have lights. There is a line of small, severely trimmed trees all around the back of the grandstand. These provide no shade, but it’s usually very pleasant with the breeze blowing off the San Francisco Bay. The no-frills press box is very small.
CONCESSIONS
A single small concession stand provides hot dogs, polish sausages, nachos, peanuts and sodas. There is also a good selection of official Cal Baseball hats, as well as other Cal hats and shirts.
CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS BASEBALL HISTORY
Cal has made ten trips to the NCAA postseason, five to the College World Series, and won NCAA Baseball Championships in 1947 and 1957. Cal has sent many players to the Majors, including Lance Blankenship, Andy Messersmith, Jackie Jensen, Mike Epstein and Jeff Kent. Current major leaguers include Conor Jackson, John Baker, Geoff Blum, Brandon Morrow, Xavier Nady and Tyler Walker.
BEFORE/AFTER THE GAME
UC Berkeley is a beautiful and historic campus, well worth the walkabout. The campus landmark is the Campanile, a 307-ft. bell tower built in 1914. Open most days, a short elevator ride to the top provides a spectacular view of Berkeley, San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay. Other on-campus sites include the Lawrence Hall of Science/Holt Planetarium, Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology, UC Berkeley Art Museum, and the UC Botanical Garden. The colorful city of Berkeley has an international flavor, full of bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants, interesting sites and interesting people. And of course, San Francisco is only a few minutes away on the other side of the Bay Bridge. Nearby baseball sites include Stanford Sunken Diamond, AT&T Park, the A’s at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Municipal Stadium and Raley Field.