Photo by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 1.57
Joseph J. Jaroschak Field 200 Lincoln Hwy Jersey City, NJ 07306
Year Opened: 1990
Capacity: 500
Nothing to Strut About
Saint Peter’s baseball field is part of the Joseph J. Jaroschak Field “complex”, which is located in the southwest corner of Lincoln Park in Jersey City, NJ – the complex also includes the Saint Peter’s softball and soccer fields.
Lincoln Park, opened in 1905, is a large urban park operated by Hudson County, and is divided into two sections, with multiple athletics fields on the east side (closer to the city), plus a golf course and Joseph J. Jaroschak Field on the west side (adjacent to the Hackensack River). Funds to build the complex were donated by Mary Lou Jaroschak in 1990, and the field was named after her late husband, a wealthy Hudson County resident.
Food & Beverage 0
No food or beverages are sold at the stadium, so you will need to bring your own.
Atmosphere 1
The baseball portion of Joseph J. Jaroschak Field is not much more than a community field, and what facilities they have are a bit dilapidated. There is no scoreboard and no stadium lighting, with just two small sets of quasi-temporary metal bleachers – one for the home fans and one for the visitors. The press box consists of a small wooden shack that can only fit two people, and the bathrooms consist of Port-A-Johns, which are shared with the soccer and softball fields.
The field is natural grass, and the dugouts and press box are badly in need of paint and roof repairs – the dugouts also don’t seem to be large enough, so the coaches sit on folding chairs, and some of the players sit on empty buckets in front of the dugout during the game.
Rumor has it both the baseball and softball fields used to have scoreboards, but they were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy – it is possible some of the other damage occurred then as well. For a quick tour of the venue see the video:
Neighborhood 3
Joseph J. Jaroschak Field is bordered on the west side by the Hackensack River, with Highway 1/Highway 9 on the south side, and the rest of Lincoln Park on the east and north. The neighborhood near the park appears pretty sketchy, and does not feel very safe. However, if you are looking for something to do in the area, New York City is only 6 miles away, just across the river from Jersey City.
There are also myriad hotels and restaurants in the immediate vicinity of the athletic complex, way too many to name, due to the urban sprawl around NYC – you can pretty much find any kind of food you want, but the traffic is of course terrible.
On the plus side, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are on the same side of the Hudson River as Joseph J. Jaroschak Field, so should be easy to get to from here.
Fans 2
Despite the super-high population in the area, the baseball stadium at Joseph J. Jaroschak Field does not draw a huge crowd (only 100-200 on average). This is probably due in part to the lack of facilities, but also the traffic and difficulty getting here.
About half or more of the fans are here for the visitors; in fact one of the two sets of bleachers is practically reserved for them. The Peacock fans who do attend cheer pretty loudly when there is a great play, but are pretty blasé the rest of time; about one-third of them sport Saint Peter’s gear, which is not sold at the stadium.
While most of the fans sit in the stands, there are a good number who stand along the fences, which are chain link all the way around, so you can watch from anywhere.
Access 2
Joseph J. Jaroschak Field is inside Lincoln Park in Jersey City, NJ, and is a little hard to get to, first because of the very heavy traffic in the area, but also because of the bridges, which always add congestion – recall that Jersey City is flanked by the Hackensack River on the west and the Hudson River on the east. But Lincoln Park does have a couple major freeways that go by it, and the park has several entrances.
Once you get to Lincoln Park, to find the baseball field just head toward the southwest corner of the park by following the one-way quasi-circular road that goes around it (depending on which website you use this curvy road could be called either Lincoln Park, Lookout, Lakeview, or Tennis Court Drive). Once you get to the blue track (the kind people run around), turn right and follow that road until it dead ends at a parking lot, then walk toward the river and you will see Joseph J. Jaroschak Field – the baseball portion is on the other side of the soccer and softball fields. On some websites this dead-end road will be called West Park Drive, but there is no sign actually posted.
There are no standing restrooms, just Port-A-Johns, but at least parking is free, although you do have to walk a bit from the parking lot to get to the baseball field.
Return on Investment 1
Even though it is free to attend Saint Peter’s baseball games, I cannot recommend it, due to the severe lack of facilities and the difficulty in getting here. There are several other schools nearby, so even if you want to see your team play on the road, I would suggest visiting one of those stadiums instead.
Extras 2
If you do attend a Saint Peter’s baseball game, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are nearby and well worth a visit, so one point for those.
Another point for New York City, which is just across the river with all its myriad attractions, so if you choose to stay the weekend, maybe take in a whole series, you will find plenty to do if you can handle the traffic.
Final Thoughts
Saint Peter’s is a very small school, so I can understand the lack of facilities due to the lack of budget. However, there are plenty of other options in the area if you want to see a baseball game – heck, there are even better baseball fields inside Lincoln Park itself.