Ripken Experience/Yankee Stadium – Notre Dame Maryland Gators

Richard Smith
2 hours ago
3 min read

Photos by Richard Smith, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.71

Ripken Experience/Yankee Stadium 873 Long Drive Aberdeen, MD 21001

Notre Dame Maryland Gators website Ripken Experience website

Year Opened: 2003 Capacity: 500

Taking a Rip

Notre Dame of Maryland University is a Catholic liberal arts college located in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1873. It is right next door to Loyola University Maryland's “Evergreen” campus (which shares a library). It was formerly an all-women’s college, but that ended in 2023 as it is now co-ed. The university has over 3000 students.

The original name of the school was the Notre Dame of Maryland Preparatory School and Collegiate Institute. It also spent many years with the College of Notre Dame of Maryland name.

In 2011, the school attained university status with the addition of several graduate-level programs.

Notre Dame’s athletic teams are members of Division III of the NCAA. All sports but swimming compete within the United East Conference. Although the swim team does not compete within a conference, it participates in the yearly Old Dominion Athletic Conference swim championships.

The university’s sports teams are known as the Gators. The baseball team is very new to collegiate competition. The Ripken Experience is one of three home bases for the team at this time. They also play home games at Harford Community College and Joe Cannon Stadium.

The Ripken Experience is a series of youth sports fields located near the home of the Aberdeen Ironbirds. Yankee Stadium is the only full-size field in the complex, as the rest are youth-sized fields.

Food & Beverage 0

There are no food options available for a Gators baseball game.

Atmosphere 2

There are a couple of small stands around the field, but most fans bring their own chairs to sit and watch the game.

There is a PA announcer and a nice scoreboard.

The overall setting is very nice, and the woods surrounding the field make for a nice atmosphere.

Neighborhood 3

The complex is located across I-95 from the rest of Aberdeen. Right near the stadium are Ripken Stadium, two hotels, and some newer housing buildings in the area.

One should wander around the youth baseball complex to see the replica baseball fields designed after Fenway, Wrigley, and Baltimore’s own Memorial Stadium. The centerpiece is Cal Sr.’s Yard. It is a near-scale replica of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and even has a replica warehouse building that houses two hotels (Residence Inn Aberdeen and Courtyard Aberdeen).

Outside the exact stadium area are some new development that includes a Royal Farms gas station, All American Steakhouse, a mini golf location, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

A short drive away, back over I-95, is an abundance of restaurants and hotels. Aberdeen, home to the Army’s massive Aberdeen Proving Grounds, is a center of business activity. Olive Tree is a better version of a well-known Italian chain, while Mamie’s Cafe is an old-school Baltimore-style restaurant that offers free desserts with all meals. The Greene Turtle, Panera Bread, and Super Chicken Rico are some other choices with which you can’t go wrong.

Chap's Pit Beef is also located nearby and is. a good spot if you want to properly fill your belly before the game.

Fans 2

The fans at the stadium are clearly family and friends only. I would doubt there are ever many student fans in attendance unless they know someone playing. Many players on the Gators roster are currently from the local Harford County area, so there are more fans than you would expect for this level, and being so far from campus.

Access 5

I-95 runs right next to the stadium, which means that access from there and State Route 22 (a major road across the ever-growing Harford County) is strong. Long Drive (which was named before the stadium was there, surprisingly) is a four-lane road that is the only way into the area. It never gets too busy.

Park by Cal Sr's Yard and follow the path between Citi Field and PNC Park to get to Yankee Stadium.

Return on Investment 4

Games are free to attend, and there are no other costs associated with the stadium, so the value for the fans is very good. If a good local team is in town, or one of the powerhouse programs is playing, fans will be rewarded with some good baseball skills with very little investment.

Extras 3

The nearby Camden Yards warehouse replica is a great extra and gives a bit more to the atmosphere of the complex.

A fan should also stop in and check to see if any youth tournaments are using the other Ripken fields. There will be games played there all summer. Although not located at the stadium, Chap's Pit Beef is an extra all on its own.