The Roanoke College baseball team will now call Lewis Gale Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark it's home for the second consecutive year. Athletic Director Scott Allison and head baseball coach Matt McGuire are excited about the College's partnership with the Class-A Salem Red Sox organization.
"Having our games played at Memorial Stadium will surely help us in on the recruiting front," said Roanoke College athletic director Scott Allison. "The fact that our home facility is one of the finest in all of Division III will be part of our 'pitch'. We're thankful for our relationsihp with the City of Salem, and so grateful to have had the chance to play at Kiwanis field since the re-incarnation of the baseball program."
Roanoke now moves to the home of the Single-A Advanced Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League. The stadium, which opened on August 7, 1995, has been the backdrop for numerous Roanoke College baseball games before they called it their home field last year. The 6,300 seat stadium also served as the site of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Championship games in 2013.
The Maroons use Salem Red Sox Locker room, and as have access to the indoor batting cage and the fitness facilities at the stadium. McGuire looks for these facility improvements and amenities to aid in future Roanoke Baseball recruiting.
"This is a milestone moment for our baseball program and we couldn't be more thrilled with this opportunity," said McGuire. "We have moved into one of the top-three facilities in the entire state of Virginia and will arguably have the best D-III facility in the entire country. Moving to Lewis-Gale Field raises the bar in every facet of our program from recruiting, player development, game day experience, locker room and weight room space, not to mention one of the best playing surfaces you will find. When you add the prestigious education Roanoke College provides along with being able to use this facility, we can now provide a student-athlete experience that will be tough to match. "
During the Matt McGuire Era, Roanoke College has had three of the best seasons in program history. In 2015, the baseball program had a 17-15 record while calling Lewis-Gale Field their home, which was the first winning season in the program's history and tallied a program best 11 ODAC vicotries.The Maroons also boasted a 12-7 record at Salem Memorial Stadium and a 6-3 conference home record while playing there as well. They also won their first ODAC Tournament game in the program's history against Eastern Mennonite . In 2014, the Maroons tallied 16 wins, which ties the second most single-season wins by a Roanoke club, matching the 2004 and 2012 seasons. In 2013, RC baseball snapped-off a season record 18 wins, as well as a program second-best 10 ODAC victories.