Photos by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.29
Regency Furniture Stadium 11765 Saint Linus Dr Waldorf, MD 20602
Year Opened: 2008 Capacity: 4,200
Senators Baseball
The Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League is a summer collegiate baseball league featuring eight teams in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The newest club in this league is the Southern Maryland Senators, who play their home games at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland, also home of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League.
At 4,200 seats, Regency Furniture Stadium is by far the largest ballpark in the Ripken League, although it is never even close to capacity.
Food & Beverage 1
None of the concession stands at Regency Furniture Stadium that is open for Blue Crabs games are open for the Senators. Instead, there is a table on the concourse near home plate that offers only a few basic options. Chips, candy, soda, Gatorade, and bottled water are all you will find here. The good news is that nothing is more than $2. Payment is accepted via cash, PayPal, or Venmo, with QR codes you can scan for the latter two.
Atmosphere 2
A Southern Maryland Senators game is a very basic experience, though at least it is in a sleek, modern stadium. All seats are chairbacks, and seating is general admission. Given the small crowds, you should have no problem sitting wherever you want. There is a board in right field that is capable of displaying video, but for Senators games, it simply displays the score.
Smaller scoreboards are located on the top of the seating area and also show the count. There is a manual scoreboard in left field, but it is not in use for Senators games. Instead, it showed the score of the prior Blue Crabs games, with several of the panels missing. If a batter hits the ball through the gap created by the missing panel, it is a ground rule double.
There is not much going on here besides the game. Music and sound effects are played between innings and even between pitches. Sound effects include things like the "Foul ball" audio from the Wii Sports baseball. They are also fond of playing SpongeBob songs while the visiting team is batting, for some reason.
Neighborhood 3
Regency Furniture Stadium is located in a residential neighborhood in between Waldorf and La Plata. Many businesses are located along Route 301 in both towns, although they are mostly chains. You will have to drive a couple miles to get to either one as well. La Plata seems to have more non-chain options, including Marie's Diner and La Tolteca.
Fans 1
The Southern Maryland Senators average only a few dozen fans a game in a ballpark that seats 4,200. As a result, it will barely be at 1% of capacity. Unfortunately, this low attendance, combined with a ballpark that is way larger than this team needs, are not conducive to the stadium experience. At most times, the ballpark will be almost completely silent other than whatever is playing over the sound system. At least this means you get to hear a lot of the chatter on the field.
Access 4
Regency Furniture Stadium is located a few miles off of US Route 301. Parking at the stadium is in a spacious lot that is more than big enough for the few dozen fans the Senators draw. You should have no trouble finding a space close by. There are several sets of restrooms in the stadium, as well as a family/gender neutral restroom. Given the small crowds compared to Blue Crabs games, these are more than sufficient.
Return on Investment 3
Tickets to Senators games are $10, which certainly won't break the bank but is on the high end for the experience you are getting. Concessions, while limited, are very affordable, which helps this rating out.
Extras 2
Free roster sheets are available at the entrance. Look for the team store selling Senators gear. Note that several extras for Blue Crabs games, including the kids' play area and bumper boats, are not open for Senators games, so we will not award those extras here.
Final Thoughts
At its core, a Southern Maryland Senators game is a very basic experience in a ballpark that is way too big for the crowds it draws. Hopefully as the team begins to establish itself, it can draw more fans, but for now, there is not much going on here.
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