Les Murakami Stadium
Encyclopedia
Les Murakami Stadium is the baseball
stadium at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
in Honolulu CDP
, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii
, United States
. The stadium was built in 1984 and renamed after legendary Rainbow coach Les Murakami for the 2002 season.
. The facility originally cost $11.2 million in 1984. In 1985, the roof, which was only the middle section, was extended down the first- and third-base lines and AstroTurf
was laid over the entire playing surface, boosting the final cost to $12.2 million.
Some of the architectural features include two concession stands, two sunken dugouts with separate locker room facilities, the new Grand Slam Booster Club room, a locker room for the umpires, the Verizon Academic Center complete with computers, a laundry room, and a training room. The two-tier press box is air-conditioned and carpeted, and has a radio and a television booth on opposite ends. The stadium seats 4,312, with 3,738 of the seats covered to shelter the fans from the frequent spring rains of Manoa, called the "Manoa Mist" by fans.
Along with renaming the stadium in 2002, the baseball program moved the outfield fences in 15 feet and lowered them from 12 to 10 feet, turning what had been a pitchers' ballpark into a more hitter-friendly stadium. Also, a new fiber-optic scoreboard/message board capable of showing TV replays was added in 2002.
, their only CWS appearance. Hawaii lost 5-3 in the championship game to Arizona
.
Rainbow baseball was its most prosperous between 1989-94 for two big reasons. First, in 279 home dates, UH posted a 69.9 winning percentage and went 195-84 at home. Secondly, attendance flourished, drawing 983,261 fans for an average of 3,524. Les Murakami Stadium was sold out for 179 of those 279 dates.
The facility has attracted more than 2.5 million fans since opening in 1984. In the most attended season of 1992, UH fans set two milestones. First, on March 7, 1992, the one-millionth fan walked through the turnstiles. Secondly, Hawaii set a school and NCAA
attendance record of 208,378, which has since been broken. In 2010, the Rainbow Warriors ranked 17th in Division I college baseball
in attendance, averaging 3,190 per home game.
In 2004, the big crowds returned to Les Murakami Stadium as the Rainbows averaged almost 2,500 in attendance per game, including their first sellout in five years on a Saturday night game vs. then-No. 3 Rice
on May 8, 2004. The ’Bows did not disappoint the packed house, taking a thrilling 6-5 victory.
After 11 years of use, the existing AstroTurf
was changed to DomoTurf in time for the 2008 baseball season. DomoTurf is an artificial field system utilizing synthetic grass and rubber infill granules, which is said to better simulate real soil feel and reduce injuries.
UH occupies the first base dugout.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stadium at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Hawaii at Manoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the flagship campus of the greater University of Hawaii system...
in Honolulu CDP
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The stadium was built in 1984 and renamed after legendary Rainbow coach Les Murakami for the 2002 season.
History
In 1983, the University of Hawaii appropriated the money to build a state-of-the-art on-campus baseball facility. The project took less than nine months to complete. On February 17, 1984, Rainbow Stadium opened its gates for a game between Hawaii and USCUniversity of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. The facility originally cost $11.2 million in 1984. In 1985, the roof, which was only the middle section, was extended down the first- and third-base lines and AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
was laid over the entire playing surface, boosting the final cost to $12.2 million.
Some of the architectural features include two concession stands, two sunken dugouts with separate locker room facilities, the new Grand Slam Booster Club room, a locker room for the umpires, the Verizon Academic Center complete with computers, a laundry room, and a training room. The two-tier press box is air-conditioned and carpeted, and has a radio and a television booth on opposite ends. The stadium seats 4,312, with 3,738 of the seats covered to shelter the fans from the frequent spring rains of Manoa, called the "Manoa Mist" by fans.
Along with renaming the stadium in 2002, the baseball program moved the outfield fences in 15 feet and lowered them from 12 to 10 feet, turning what had been a pitchers' ballpark into a more hitter-friendly stadium. Also, a new fiber-optic scoreboard/message board capable of showing TV replays was added in 2002.
Through the Years
Murakami, the first full-time head baseball coach in the program's history, developed the program for 31 years and led the Rainbows to the 1980 College World SeriesCollege World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
, their only CWS appearance. Hawaii lost 5-3 in the championship game to Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
Rainbow baseball was its most prosperous between 1989-94 for two big reasons. First, in 279 home dates, UH posted a 69.9 winning percentage and went 195-84 at home. Secondly, attendance flourished, drawing 983,261 fans for an average of 3,524. Les Murakami Stadium was sold out for 179 of those 279 dates.
The facility has attracted more than 2.5 million fans since opening in 1984. In the most attended season of 1992, UH fans set two milestones. First, on March 7, 1992, the one-millionth fan walked through the turnstiles. Secondly, Hawaii set a school and NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
attendance record of 208,378, which has since been broken. In 2010, the Rainbow Warriors ranked 17th in Division I college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
in attendance, averaging 3,190 per home game.
In 2004, the big crowds returned to Les Murakami Stadium as the Rainbows averaged almost 2,500 in attendance per game, including their first sellout in five years on a Saturday night game vs. then-No. 3 Rice
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
on May 8, 2004. The ’Bows did not disappoint the packed house, taking a thrilling 6-5 victory.
After 11 years of use, the existing AstroTurf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
was changed to DomoTurf in time for the 2008 baseball season. DomoTurf is an artificial field system utilizing synthetic grass and rubber infill granules, which is said to better simulate real soil feel and reduce injuries.
UH occupies the first base dugout.