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The 1981 season signaled the start of a new chapter in
Oklahoma State baseball history. The Cowboys began play in one of
the nation's finest facilities and with it came the program's
return to national prominence.
With the start of the 2010 season, Allie P. Reynolds Stadium
begins its 30th year as home to Oklahoma State baseball. Located
on the northeast side of the OSU campus, Reynolds Stadium is
located on the same site as the old baseball facility, University
Park, and is named in honor of former OSU and major league
pitching great Allie P. Reynolds.
The $2.2 million structure was officially dedicated on April
24, 1982, in a ceremony attended by Reynolds and New York Yankee
legends Mickey Mantle, Bill Dickey and Warren Spahn. The Cowboys,
however, had begun playing in the new park on April 4, 1981, and
recorded their first victory on April 5, 1981 against conference
foe Missouri.
The Cowboys have added 693 games in the win column against
only 144 losses for an impressive winning percentage of .828 in
their home stadium. During the 1986 and '87 seasons, the Cowboys
amassed a 54-game winning streak at home.
In addition to nine NCAA Regionals, Reynolds Stadium has
played host to several of the nation's elite teams including:
Arizona, Auburn, Cal State-Fullerton, Stanford, Texas, UCLA and
Wichita State.
With approximately 1,000 chairback seats, 2,000 bleacher seats in the main
grandstand and 1,000 bleacher seats down the left-field foul line, Reynolds
Stadium has a capacity of 4,000. The Allie P. Reynolds Stadium press box
features three radio booths and seating for 25 members of the media. The stadium
also houses coaches' offices, locker rooms, a concession
stand and a ticket booth.
A $200,000 major league-quality lighting system was installed
in 1981, which has been invaluable in helping Oklahoma State host
numerous local, regional and national television appearances.
The playing surface was re-landscaped in the fall of 1992 with
new sod covering the infield grass areas. The stadium received
more than $400,000 in renovations during 1993-94, including the
addition of 1,000 bleacher seats down the left-field foul line
during the 1993 season. The construction also moved the perimeter
fences in towards the foul lines, which allowed space for the new
bleachers and moved the visiting teams' bullpen off the playing
field. The old visiting team and umpire dressing rooms underneath
the left-field stands were also completed in the construction,
which was funded entirely by private contributions to the
Reynolds Stadium Development Fund. In 1994, a new outfield fence
increased the dimensions of the stadium, and outfield fence sign
advertisements have raised over $1 million for the baseball
program since 1982.
The stadium renovations were instrumental in helping Oklahoma
State host the 1993 Midwest Regional, the 1994 Midwest I Regional
and the 1997 Mideast Regional.
At the end of the 1995 season, a new scoreboard was installed
at the stadium.
At the end of the 1997 season, there were again renovations at
Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. Those began by tearing down the old
orange fence and replacing it with an eight-foot, green-padded
fence. Both dugouts were extended, and the Cowboys' bullpen was
moved from right-field to right-center.
In the fall of 2001, a state-of-the-art indoor hitting
facility was built behind the left field stands for both the
baseball and softball teams. A new speaker system was installed
in the spring of 2002, giving the Cowboys one of the best sound
systems around.
A new, state-of-the-art scoreboard was installed during the
2004 season.
Over the last few years, OSU has continued improvements at
Reynolds Stadium, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into
helping the home of Cowboy baseball regain its status as one of
the best in college baseball.
In June 2005, the Cowboys moved into a new clubhouse along the
third base dugout. The 6,200-square foot facility was built at an
approximate cost of $700,000 and includes spacious wooden lockers
for each player and a lounge area with leather couches, a big
screen television and top of the line audio equipment. There is
also a new locker room for the OSU coaches, a locker room for
umpires, showers, an equipment room, a training room and a
kitchen area for pre-game meals.
In the fall of 2005, major improvements were also made to the
bullpen areas, warning tracks and playing surfaces to give
Reynolds Stadium a new look for the 2006 season.
The man who helped spearhead the drive to make the dream of
OSU's stadium become reality, Allie P. Reynolds, began his
brilliant baseball career on the campus of the school formerly
known as Oklahoma A&M.
Reynolds, who was attending A&M on a track scholarship,
was watching baseball practice one afternoon when he was asked by
baseball coach Henry P. Iba if he could help out by throwing
batting practice. Without the benefit of a single warm-up pitch,
Reynolds struck out the only four batters he faced without
allowing so much as a foul ball. Thus began the legend of Allie
P. Reynolds.
Reynolds began his professional career with the Cleveland
Indians where he notched 51 wins in five seasons. He then went on
to star for the New York Yankees from 1947 to 1954 before his
career was cut short by a freak accident.
The six-time All-Star appeared in 15 World Series games,
winning seven of his nine starts and picking up four saves in six
relief appearances. Reynolds was an integral part of six world
championship teams while in New York.
His most memorable season came in 1951 when, in spite of
fighting bone chips, he became only the third player in
major-league history to hurl two no-hit games in a single season.
All told, Reynolds compiled a 182-107 record with 49 saves and
1,423 strikeouts during his 12-year career.
On August 26, 1989, Reynolds was bestowed the highest honor of
any New York Yankee when he received a plaque in Monument Park
beyond the centerfield fence at Yankee Stadium.
An article published in a Yankee magazine prior to the
unveiling of Reynolds' monument said, "The plaque assures
that the Superchief will always be included when stories of
Yankee greats are told. Allie belongs as a Yankee legend, both as
a player and as a man."
The same holds true for Oklahoma State University where Allie
P. Reynolds has always been a friend and will forever be a part
of the Cowboy Baseball family.
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