Taylor Field

Entering its 13th season as the home to East Texas Baptist University’s softball program, Taylor Field continues to be one of the top softball facilities in the American Southwest Conference, and ETBU is proud to put it up as one of the best in the nation.

With five conference championships and an unprecedented 10 consecutive conference playoff trips, the Lady Tigers’ success has been built on recruiting great players. A big part of the recruiting process everywhere is having top-notch facilities, and ETBU’s softball complex fits in that category.

“We are proud of our facility and believe it’s one of the best we’ll play in every year,” says ETBU head coach Janae Shirley, who played her collegiate home games with the Lady Tigers in the friendly confines of Taylor Field. “The improvements we’ve made to the park over the last few years have only served to enhance its overall usefulness and appearance.”

Since the end of the 2008 season the Lady Tigers have continued to add to their home. New lights were added as well as the addition of a metal outfield wall that has given the park a classic collegiate feel.

Prior to the most recent additions, in 2005, ETBU renovated the Taylor Field press box behind home plate to include a two-story brick structure with press box on the upper floor and Lady Tiger dressing/locker room on the first floor. Metal dugouts were also replaced with brick, and improvements were also made to the bullpen area and batting cages.

The facility was chosen to host the 2009 NCAA First-Round Tournament last May, with ETBU hosting seven of the top teams in the nation from Texas, Louisiana, California and Oregon.
Taylor Field opened in 1998 along with the inception of ETBU’s softball program. The original gift for the facility was provided by Earl and Louise Taylor.

Distances to the foul poles are 190 feet from home plate, with distance to center field 210. Both power alleys top out at 215 feet.

The Lady Tiger dugout stretches down the third-base side of the diamond, along with a bullpen in the left-field foul area. The visitor’s dugout is on the first base side, with a batting cage down the right-field line.

Bleacher seating is available, as well as a newly constructed concession stand just behind the home side. The climated-controlled press box sits directly behind home plate, as the second story of the building housing the Lady Tiger locker room.