DeVault Memorial Stadium - Bristol Pirates

Bristol Pirates

DeVault Memorial Stadium 1501 Euclid Avenue Bristol, VA 24201	Opened: 1969	Capacity: 2,000	Elevation: 1,684'

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DeVault Memorial Stadium Facts & Figures

Was not built from scratch, as a pre-existing field was altered and improved so it could be the site for professional baseball. Often generically referred to then by its position in a sports complex, the "center diamond" within the Randolph Complex originally went by the name of Randolph Field. While that name was later changed, the complex name has remained the same.

Officially called Boyce Cox Field at DeVault Memorial Stadium. The playing field portion of the name honors Boyce Cox, a Bristol native who played a pair of seasons for his hometown team in the 1940s then was named the Appalachian League Executive of the Year three times (1988, 1992 & 1998) during his front office tenure with the franchise, for which he was still serving as the general manager at the time of his death on March 17, 2007. The stadium's name memorializes Chauncey DeVault, an area native who was president of the Appalachian League from 1947-1979. DeVault died in Bristol on February 2, 1980.

Owned by the City of Bristol, Virginia.

Lease terms: The Pirates only have to pay $1 per year in rent

The non-profit volunteer organization Bristol Baseball, Inc. (BBI) maintains and operates the facility on behalf of the Bristol Pirates. The team itself is also operated by BBI, which is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity. BBI has no paid full-time staff and describes its mission as "dedicated to keeping professional baseball alive in Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee."

Also serves as the home field for the Virginia High School Bearcats baseball team.

A marker commemorating an amazing achievement at Bristol's previous ballpark stands along the path that leads fans to the current ballpark. Unveiled in 1999, the "27 K's" plaque briefly tells the story of what a 19-year-old pitcher named Ron Necciai did on May 13, 1952 at Shaw Stadium: he struck out 27 batters in a nine-inning no-hit performance against the Welch Miners (although the city is misspelled as "Welsh" on the plaque). A crude bronzed baseball bearing Necciai's signature is the centerpiece of the rectangular plaque, which is affixed to a stone block display that's placed where the walkway splits into paths that lead to either the first or third base stands. As for where the 27 strikeout game happened, Shaw Stadium is but a distant memory too as it was demolished long ago.

Stadium Firsts

First game: June 25, 1969; the Bristol Tigers beat the Kingsport Royals, 10-9, with 1,580 as the paid attendance. The game was played in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Ceremonial first pitch: Thrown by Alex Andersen to Jerry King. At the time, Andersen was the Mayor of Bristol, Virginia and King was the Mayor of Bristol, Tennessee.

Other official stadium firsts (all of which occurred on 6/25/69):

Pitch Batter Home Run Winning Pitcher Losing Pitcher Save

Lary Lohse Vic Price Don Hether Lary Lohse Tom Pratt Mike Witkowski

DeVault Memorial Stadium seating and grass hill

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