Home of Harvard
Baseball
Facility Information:
- 335 down each line,
370 to the gaps,
415 to center
- Seating capacity 1,600
The Harvard baseball program boasts what many regard as the
finest playing field in all of New England. Set behind historic
Harvard Stadium, which was built in 1903 and is the nation's oldest
football stadium, the Soldier's Field complex has been home to
Harvard baseball since 1898.
In 1898, Harvard moved its baseball field to Soldier's Field
from Holmes Field, which was located on the Cambridge side of the
Charles River. The first official game on Soldier's Field was
played on April 27 of that year, a 13-7 Crimson victory over
Dartmouth. In its earlier days, Harvard baseball had called
Cambridge Common, Boston Common, the Delta, and Jarvis Field home.
Harvard dedicated its baseball field in honor of Joseph J.
O'Donnell '67, MBA '71 in a ceremony preceding a doubleheader with
Dartmouth on May 4, 1997.
O'Donnell, a football and baseball standout at Harvard and
captain of the 1967 Crimson baseball squad, has been a supporter of
the College for many years. In 1995, he endowed the baseball
program with a $2.5 million gift, enabling Joe Walsh to become the
first full-time head coach in the history of Harvard baseball.
Following the dedication ceremony, the Crimson swept the Big
Green, 18-3 and 7-6. After renaming its field, Harvard went on to
post a 7-2 home record in 1997 while beating a ranked opponent (#19
Massachusetts), winning the Red Rolfe Division title, the Ivy
League championship, and a NCAA Play-In series all on its home
turf.
The Crimson took its success at O'Donnell Field to new heights
in 1998, riding its home-field advantage to an unprecedented 15-0
home record in the 100th anniversary of the program's first season.
In the modern history of Harvard baseball, no other Crimson team
has gone an entire season without a loss at home. The '98 squad
went 13-0 in the regular season at O'Donnell Field (including 10-0
against Ivy League foes) before hosting and sweeping Metro Atlantic
Athletic Conference champion Le Moyne College in two straight games
in an NCAA Play-In.
The dimensions of O'Donnell Field are 335 down each line, 370 to
the gaps, and 415 to center. Capacity seating is 1,600.
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