Photos by Richard Smith, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.00
Hank DeVincent Field
1900 W Olney Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19141
Year Opened: 1978
Capacity: 1,000
Home of the La Salle Explorers
La Salle University is a Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. La Salle first admitted women students in 1970, becoming a fully co-educational institution. Nursing and Education are two of the largest majors at La Salle.
Sports teams at La Salle are named the Explorers. The name derives from a 1931 mistake made by a local sportswriter. The writer thought the university was named after the French explorer Sieur de La Salle, when in fact it is named after St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. The students loved the mistake so much they adopted it in 1932.
Athletic teams are now part of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Food & Beverage 0
There are no food options at DeVincent Field. Bring your own food if you wish to enjoy anything.
Atmosphere 2
The field is a basic baseball field that is surrounded by trees and college buildings. It is a nice facility for northeast college baseball.
Neighborhood 1
The neighborhood is known as the Logan-Ogontz/Belfield neighborhood. Whatever the name, it is frankly not the best. It is not unsafe or very bad, but it is not 100% great and awesome. If you wander away from campus, just be aware of your surroundings.
There are not many businesses in the area except for the Explorers Den, which offers a very respectable cheesesteak. There is also a small shopping center that offers parking for games at the corner of Chew and Wister. The university owns this shopping center. The Fresh Grocer and Dunkin Donuts in this center are your only other options before games.
Eat before you get to the area is the best advice. Head to center city Philadelphia. Take advantage of options afforded by such a city. I would recommend the Good Dog Bar on 15th Street, close to Rittenhouse Square or Me ‘N’ Mo on South Street. Some of the best cheesesteaks are located at Philip’s Steaks at 2234 West Passyunk Avenue for traditional Philly cheesesteaks. This is not one of the more touristy spots, but is still in a safe neighborhood and offers free parking. Philip’s also has a surprisingly good cheeseburger for a cheesesteak joint. Just remember you have to buy the drinks and fries at a different window than your main entree, which is a strange and unique Philly tradition
Fans 3
Fans at DeVincent Field tend to primarily be family or friends of the players. What this means is that weekend and later afternoon games will be busier than early afternoon weekday games. It just means you will see an inconsistent level of fan interaction. The fans who do attend really care about the game and are extremely knowledgeable.
Access 3
Access is fair. The university is located not too far from highways such as I-76 and I-95 but far enough that you have to drive through some rough, but not too bad neighborhoods to get there. If you venture too far east the neighborhoods do get worse.
Return on Investment 4
It is free to attend games. The seats are close to the action and the view from the field is nice, so it is a good return on investment.
Extras 1
The PA announcer does a good job with music and announcements.
Final Thoughts
This is a nice, simple ballpark offering good baseball with little frills. Don’t go out of your way to attend, but if in the direct area, it may be a good place to spend a nice afternoon.
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