Photos by Meg Minard, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.71
CG Baseball Field 2626 E Pecos Rd
Chandler, AZ 85225
Year Opened: 1987 (a guess) Capacity: 300 (approx)
CG Yotes Baseball
Chandler-Gilbert Coyotes are NJCAA – Arizona Community College Athletics Conference (ACCAC) members. They play their home games at the GC Baseball Field on the college’s Pecos campus in Chandler, AZ, a southeast suburb of Phoenix.
As of this writing (2024), the Yotes (their nickname) baseball team has not won any NJCAA National Championships.
Food & Beverage 0
The baseball stadium does not have refreshments for sale. Fans can (and should) bring their own beverages and snacks. The facility has a few picnic tables near the stands.
Atmosphere 3
The CG Baseball Field is one of the few ACCAC stadiums that has lights. Evening and night games can be played here, but the schedule still has mostly afternoon games.
A scoreboard in left-center shows the basic line score. Names on the outfield wall include Andre Ethier, Eric Young Jr, Dennis Sarfate, Rudy Owens, James Pazos, and Tyler Hollick. These former CGCC alumni players have all played for or signed with Major League Baseball.
Stadium seating is ten rows of bleachers with handrails behind home plate and two smaller ancillary bleachers (4 or 5 rows) on each side of the main seating area. The Coyotes dugout is on the third base side. A medium thickness net, not a chain link fence, protects the seating areas from foul balls. This makes watching the game a little easier for fans. The bleachers do get shade for 3pm games. You’ll want to bring sunscreen for games with an earlier start time.
The field is actual grass, impeccably green and plush, the kind you want to walk through in your bare feet. The home plate area and pitcher’s mound look like grey carpet.
Visitors see trees and housing beyond the outfield and can even see traffic passing by on Gilbert Road.
Game day operations play music between innings, and the home team players have walk-up songs. The volume is okay. Like at most ACCAC baseball games, they do not announce the game.
Neighborhood 3
The ball field is adjacent to the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Pecos campus. The cities of Chandler and Gilbert are southeast suburbs of Phoenix, AZ. It’s suburbia, so shopping strips, fast food, and housing surround the college.
BKD’s Backyard Joint and Copper Still Moonshine & Grill are decent sports bars/restaurants 1 - 2 miles away to visit after a game.
Downtown Chandler is a little over three miles from the school. It offers several breweries and brewpubs (SanTan, Pedal Haus, The Perch Brewery, and more). Downtown Gilbert is five miles from the college and provides several places to dine and drink: OHSO Brewery, Culinary Dropout, Snooze, Liberty Market, and more.
Some of the top attractions in Chandler are the SanTan Gardens – Brewery & Distillery Tour, Crayola Experience (good for families with young children), Chandler Museum (with a wide variety of exhibits), and Chandler Fashion Center mall (for shopping).
Mesa Thunderbirds (Mesa Community College) baseball is 10 miles away. The Chicago Cubs spring training site is a little further. Hohokam Stadium, where the Oakland Athletics have their spring training, is 12 miles distance. Downtown Phoenix is 25 miles from the school.
For places to stay, I’d recommend choosing something in Chandler like a Hilton Garden Inn, Best Western, or Crown Plaza Resort. You may be able to get an Airbnb for a little less.
Fans 3
A good number of fans show up for the CG Coyotes baseball games. You’ll often see as many opposing team fans as Coyotes fans since the Phoenix area has several schools in the ACCAC. Fans here fall into more than the ‘family and friends’ category. Other students attend the ball games. At the game I saw, the softball team members showed up after their game was complete.
The fans are respectful; all clap their appreciation when a pitcher leaves the game, as well as any good plays at bat and in the field.
Access 3
Getting to Chandler-Gilbert Baseball Field is best by car. The field is a mile north of Loop 202. It is 21 miles from Sky Harbor Airport. Valley Metro’s bus route 136 has a stop at the corner of Gilbert Rd and E Pecos Rd (the intersection of the school). That stop is about ½ mile walking distance to the field.
Plenty of free parking is available. Finding a spot might be challenging for midweek afternoon games when school is in session. The stadium is wheelchair accessible, but it is a 400 to 500-foot walk from the parking lot to the stadium.
As with all ACCAC baseball fields, silly bag policies are not in place. Fans just walk up and find a place to sit on the bleachers. Sweet!
Return on Investment 5
While Arizona is known for Cactus League spring training, that is utterly expensive these days. It’s a joy to find local, decent baseball in the same area for absolutely no charge. No parking charge, no fee for watching the game, and you even need to bring your own drinks and snacks - so no elevated charges for food.
Watching the game for the game, and not all the extraneous elements, is priceless.
.
Extras 2
Displaying the names of former CG Coyotes on the outfield walls is worth an extra mention. Seeing lights at the ballpark is unique and distinctive for an ACCAC college baseball field.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, outdoor activity to enjoy during the spring months in the Phoenix Metro area, be sure to look up a Chandler-Gilbert Coyotes baseball game.
Comments