Ballparks Around The World: PK Park

In today’s episode of “Ballparks Around The World,” we pay attention to PK Park in Eugene, Oregon, home of the NCAA’s (Pac-12 Conference) Oregon Ducks and MiLB’s Eugene Emeralds.

After three decades of being nothing more than a club sport, the baseball program at the University of Oregon was revived in 2009. A club sport is any sports offered at a university or college in the United States that is played competitively with other universities or colleges, but are not regulated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and do not have varsity status.

With the new status of baseball, a new ballpark was needed. The groundbreaking of PK Park was on August 15, 2008. The first phase of the construction was the creation of temporary seating and the playing surface for the 2009 season. The first game was played on February 27, 2009, as the Ducks beat Fresno State, the reigning national champion, 1-0.

The second phase of the construction was the permanent concrete grandstand, built between the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The first game in the completed stadium was on March 2, 2010, a 6–2 win over the Washington Huskies, as 2,609 fans attended the game.

The ballpark is named after former Oregon athletic director Pat Kilkenny, whose donations helped fund the stadium. The ballpark was designed by sport architect DLR Group. PK Park has 3,000 fixed seats in the main seating bowl and a total capacity of 4,000 spectators. Fan amenities include a video board, landscaped areas for hospitality, a tiered party plaza called “Fowl Territory”, a picnic plaza, and eight upper level suites. It is located just east of Autzen Stadium, the football home of the Oregon Ducks. The baseball park was built on the northeast section of the football stadium’s parking lot.

The dimensions of PK Park are somewhat odd as right field is shorter than left field:
Left field: 335 ft (102 meters)
Center field: 400 ft (120 meters)
Right field: 325 ft (99 meters)

PK Park is equipped with a full home locker room and players’ lounge, as well as a state-of-the-art video board that debuted during the 2022 season.

The John Conrad Press Box features three radio/television broadcast booths, an audio/visual game operations booth, and a large press area. There are also eight fully-loaded luxury suites with indoor and outdoor seating.

In 2013, the Player Development Area was opened. The indoor PDA features four full batting cages that can be separated into eight cages. The facility cages are also retractable, allowing infield to be taken inside the PDA.

During the summer, PK Park is home to the Northwest League’s Eugene Emeralds.