Walter C. Latham Park
Encyclopedia
Walter C. Latham Park is a baseball
venue
located in Elon, North Carolina
, USA. It is home to the Elon Phoenix
baseball
team, a member of the Division I Southern Conference
. The venue has a capacity of 2,000 spectators.
The venue is named for Walter C. Latham, an Elon alumnus and North Carolina educator and athletic coach. Newsome Field is the name of the baseball field itself at the facilitiy. The field portion is named for Wilburn E. "Webb" Newsome, a member of the Elon Athletics Hall of Fame who participated in football
, baseball
, and boxing
at the school.
In 2005, lights were installed at the venue, allowing night games to be played for the first time. In the summer of 2010, a donation by Bryan Latham, son of the late Walter C. Latham for whom the field is named, allowed for more renovations. A FieldTurf
infield was installed, along with a new outfield drainage system and new fencing.
A Latham Park attendance record was set on April 28, 2009. In front of 1,873 spectators, Elon defeated then-nationally ranked East Carolina
10-8. The venue's first crowd of over 1,000 people was April 29, 2006, with Elon defeating Georgia Southern
7-6.
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...
venue
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
located in Elon, North Carolina
Elon, North Carolina
Elon is a town in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The current population estimate is 7,060. The town of Elon is home to Elon University. The town was called "Elon College" until the college known as Elon...
, USA. It is home to the Elon Phoenix
Elon Phoenix baseball
The Elon Phoenix baseball team is the interscholastic baseball team from Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. They are part of the Division 1 Southern Conference. The team is led by Head coach Mike Kennedy who is now in his 15th season as head coach...
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...
team, a member of the Division I Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
. The venue has a capacity of 2,000 spectators.
The venue is named for Walter C. Latham, an Elon alumnus and North Carolina educator and athletic coach. Newsome Field is the name of the baseball field itself at the facilitiy. The field portion is named for Wilburn E. "Webb" Newsome, a member of the Elon Athletics Hall of Fame who participated in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
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...
, and boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
at the school.
In 2005, lights were installed at the venue, allowing night games to be played for the first time. In the summer of 2010, a donation by Bryan Latham, son of the late Walter C. Latham for whom the field is named, allowed for more renovations. A FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
infield was installed, along with a new outfield drainage system and new fencing.
A Latham Park attendance record was set on April 28, 2009. In front of 1,873 spectators, Elon defeated then-nationally ranked East Carolina
East Carolina Pirates baseball
The East Carolina Pirates baseball team is an intercollegiate baseball team representing East Carolina University in NCAA Division I college baseball and has made regular appearances in the NCAA Tournament, but as of 2010 has yet to appear in the College World Series.East Carolina participates as a...
10-8. The venue's first crowd of over 1,000 people was April 29, 2006, with Elon defeating Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern Eagles
The Georgia Southern Eagles are the athletic teams of Georgia Southern University. The Eagles compete in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision and are members of the NCAA Division I Southern Conference...
7-6.