L.P. Frans Stadium
Hickory, NC
Team: Hickory Crawdads
Affiliation: Pittsburgh Pirates
Capacity: 5,092
League: South Atlantic (Low-A)
Completed: 1993

L.P. Frans Stadium was one of the first ballparks to use a design that has become very common among minor league ballparks.  Because of that, I sometimes use the term "cookie cutter" to describe this type of design (with both the entrance and the concourse at the top of the stands), but you shouldn't confuse that with the major league use of the term, which implies a huge concrete bowl, artificial turf, and a multi-sport design that doesn't work well for either baseball OR football.  Unlike those monstrosities, this template actually works well in most locations, and Hickory is one of them.  

While L.P. Frans has a design that is very common among modern minor league ballparks, it has a number of features that make it unique.  There is a medium sized cantilevered roof that covers the upper level of seats behind home plate.  A walkway halfway between the seats allows fans to roam around behind home plate without the view being obstructed by the press box.  There is even a restaurant down the right field line that is surprisingly good for a low single-A stadium.  The view is even somewhat unique, or at least it will be, as construction crews were just leveling the ground to make room for a Pepsi bottling plant when I was there. 

Perhaps the highlight of my night in Hickory, however, was the fans.  There was quite a supportive group the night I was there.  The game was a fairly long one, and in the top of the ninth, the Charleston Alley Cats had jumped out to a twelve run lead.  But, many of the fans stuck around and actually were spurring on the players.  They responded, scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth, but by then it was "too little, too late."  Still, the exuberance of the fans had me almost believing that we were in store for a minor miracle!  Way to go, Hickory! 

The bottom line: Not too much to make it extremely special, but an above average stadium, and a great place to watch a game.   

These young men were having a grand old time at the ballpark