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Writer's pictureGregory Koch

Bob Hannah Stadium - Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens


Photo by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey


Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.86

Bob Hannah Stadium 623 S College Ave Newark, DE 19716

Year Opened: 1966 Capacity: 1,300

 

Delaware’s Other “Bob”

The Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens have been playing baseball on the site of Bob Hannah Stadium since 1966. Originally known as Delaware Diamond, the stadium was renamed to honor longtime head coach Bob Hannah in May 2000. In recent years, the stadium has undergone several major renovations. 2014 saw the addition of an artificial turf surface, a new scoreboard, and other player improvements such as heated dugouts. Lights were added in 2019 to allow for night games.


Bob Hannah Stadium should not be confused with the school’s better known “Bob”, the Bob Carpenter Center, which is home to Blue Hens basketball.


Food & Beverage 0

There is no food or drink for sale at Bob Hannah Stadium, but fans can bring their own. Concessions used to be sold out of a window facing into Delaware Stadium, but that is no longer the case.


Atmosphere 3

Considering this is a college baseball venue in the northeast at a lower part of Division I, Bob Hannah Stadium is a nice place to watch a game. To get to the stadium from the parking lot, you will need to walk down a path in between the soccer and football stadiums. This will put you directly behind the stadium. A fan marketing table with some giveaways and promotions will be located in a garage-like area straight ahead, and you can walk left or right to get to stairs or a ramp that will take you into the seating area. The first three rows of this area are chairbacks, and everything else is bleachers, but fans can sit where they want. All seats offer an up-close view of the field as the venue is quite small. There is a scoreboard in right-centerfield which shows the line score, count, and any scorekeeping decisions.


In terms of the game itself, the marketing table has giveaways and the team runs occasional promotions during games such as Easter Egg hunts, but for the most part, this is a standard northeast United States college baseball experience. Although there are some activities to keep fans entertained, for the most part, the focus will be on the field, and there is nothing wrong with that.


Neighborhood 3

Newark is a typical East Coast college town. Your best option is to head downtown to Main Street, which offers numerous options including Grotto Pizza and the Deer Park Tavern. You can also head towards Christiana Mall or check out The Border Café, known for its Tex-Mex food and large “EAT” sign. The University Creamery is also worth checking out, as it is well-known for its ice cream made right on campus.


Fans 3

Like at most schools in this part of the country, college baseball isn’t a huge deal at Delaware. The Blue Hens draw on average a few hundred fans a game. However, those in attendance are knowledgeable about the Blue Hens players and many of them are regulars at home games. Most of them are friends or family of the players but some are just fans of the Blue Hens program. The crowd here as a whole is about what you’d expect, but nothing more.


Access 4

The University of Delaware campus is located right off I-95 via Exit 1 in Delaware. If coming from the south, you can also take Exit 109B in Maryland and drive along local roads for a few miles to reach the stadium to avoid paying the $4 toll once they cross the state line. This will add only a few minutes to your trip, so many fans find it worthwhile.


Once you reach campus, follow Christiana Parkway/E Chestnut Hill Road (the street changes names when crossing over College Avenue) to Sincock Lane. Parking will be in a lot on your left in between the softball and soccer fields and behind the Carpenter Center. Note that if you set your GPS to take you to the stadium, it may direct you past this lot to where the road runs alongside the stadium itself, but you will not be able to park here and will need to turn around somehow if this happens. It’s better to just go to the lot to begin with rather than listen to the GPS. Bob Hannah Stadium itself is a short walk from this lot – just follow the path between the soccer and football stadiums.


Although there are no restrooms at the stadium itself, the football stadium next door is typically open during games and you can use the restrooms there. There is also a single port-a-potty right next to the stands if you want to use that instead of walking. If there is an event at Delaware Stadium the same day (the lacrosse team plays there as well and their season overlaps with baseball) you may have a harder time using the restrooms there, or even finding room to park nearby.


Return on Investment 5

Admission to all Blue Hens games is free, parking is free, and you won’t spend anything on concessions because there aren’t any. The only cost to you will be the gas and tolls, and the latter can be avoided if you know what to do. This makes a Blue Hens baseball game a nice way to spend an afternoon or evening.


Extras 2

Look for the bust of Bob Hannah next to the stadium. Hannah is the winningest all-time coach in the history of the Delaware baseball program.


A second star for the signage along the outfield fence honoring past Blue Hens accomplishments.


Final Thoughts

Bob Hannah Stadium is a surprisingly nice baseball stadium, considering where in the country it is located and what conference the Blue Hens play in. Although this is not as good a college baseball experience as you will get in some other parts of the country and likely never will be, there really aren’t many other options in Delaware.


There are just two Division I colleges in the state, and a few more in nearby Philadelphia. While this will never be one of the top venues in the country, fans in the area will find a trip to Bob Hannah Stadium an enjoyable experience.

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