Point Stadium

Sargent's Stadium at the Point is a baseball park in the eastern United States, located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The "Point" refers to its location at the confluence of the Little Conemaugh, Stonycreek, and Conemaugh rivers. It is home to the annual All-American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) national baseball tournament and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown's NCAA Division II college baseball team. It is also a venue for football and select soccer games, primarily at the high school level. The Johnstown Mill Rats, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Prospect League, began play at Point Stadium in 2021.[2][3]

Point Stadium
The Point
Point Stadium is located in Pennsylvania
Point Stadium
Point Stadium
Location within Pennsylvania
Point Stadium is located in the United States
Point Stadium
Point Stadium
Point Stadium (the United States)
Full nameSargent's Stadium at the Point
Address100 Johns St.
Johnstown, PA 15901
LocationJohnstown, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40.329°N 78.925°W / 40.329; -78.925
Elevation1,150 feet (350 m)
OwnerCity of Johnstown
Capacity7,500 (2008–present)
Field sizeLeft Field: 290 ft (88 m)
L. Center: 336 ft (102 m)
Center: 409 ft (125 m)
R. Center: 395 ft (120 m)
Right Field: 290 ft (88 m)
SurfaceGrass (1926–2006)
Artificial turf (2007–2021)
FieldTurf (2021–present)
Construction
Broke groundNovember 1925[1]
OpenedJuly 5, 1926[1]
Renovated2005
2021
Construction cost$8 million (renovation)
Tenants
Johnstown Johnnies (MAL/PSA/MAL/EL) 1926–1942,1946–1950,1955–1956
AAABA World Series 1946–present
Johnstown Red Sox (EL) 1961
Johnstown Steal/Johnnies (FL) 1995–2002
Johnstown Mill Rats (PL) 2021–present
Website
Sargents Stadium | City of Johnstown PA
Original Point Stadium
Point Stadium 2006 before installation of artificial turf
From right-field bleachers before installation of artificial turf
Left-field screen before installation of artificial turf

Original stadium

The original stadium opened in 1926 with a capacity of 17,000. The stadium featured an upper-deck on top of the grandstand. The Greater Johnstown High School football team regularly sold out the Point for their rivalry games against Windber High School and Altoona Area High School. The upper grandstand was later removed and capacity was reduced to 10,000. It was the home of numerous minor-league baseball teams and the All-American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) World Series baseball tournament.[4]

The original Point Stadium had unusual field dimensions: fitted into a rectangular city block next to the Conemaugh River, it was just 251 feet (77 m) down the right-field line and 262 feet (80 m) down the left-field line, but bulged out to over 400 feet (122 m) feet in center field, depending on the location of a snow fence which cut off the farthest reaches of the stadium in right center field. Huge nets were put in left field to keep balls in play, preventing easy home runs, and also to prevent balls from reaching the adjacent street.

The original Point Stadium's dimensions (1926–2002)
  • Left Field Line: 262 feet (80 m)
  • Center Field: 385 feet (117 m)
  • Right Field Line: 251 feet (77 m)

Current stadium

After nearly eight decades, the original structure was torn down in 2005 to make room for an $8 million renovation. The new 7,500-seat venue opened in 2006 on August 8, for a game between Johnstown and Chicago in the annual AAABA National Tournament.[4] Bishop McCort High School currently plays its home football and baseball games here, along with select soccer matches. Sportexe artificial turf was installed before the 2007 AAABA National Tournament. The turf was replaced once again after the 2021 AAABA National Tournament with fieldturf.[5]

The original scoreboard located in center field was replaced in the spring of 2021 with a new video scoreboard.[6] A new Daktronics line scoreboard was installed into the left field wall prior to the 2023 Prospect League Season.[7]

The current dimensions
  • Left Field Line: 290 feet (88 m)
  • Left Center Field: 336 feet (102 m)
  • Center Field: 409 feet (125 m)
  • Right Center Field: 395 feet (120 m)
  • Right Field Line: 290 feet (88 m)

The diamond has an unorthodox southeasterly alignment (home plate to center field); the recommended orientation is east-northeast.[8] The football field runs along the first base line, but not parallel, with a near north–south alignment (slightly NE–SW). The approximate elevation is 1,150 feet (350 m) above sea level.

AAABA Hall of Fame

Point Stadium is home to the AAABA Hall of Fame which was established in the stadium in 1994.

UPJ Mountain Cats

Point Stadium is the home stadium for the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Mountain Cats college baseball team, an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Prior to joining the PSAC in 2013–14, UPJ competed as a member of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and hosted that conference's baseball championship tournament at Point Stadium in the 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012 seasons. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference also held its conference baseball tournament at the stadium in 2010 and 2011.

Truman visit

During the last weeks of the presidential campaign in October 1948, President Harry Truman gave a major speech at the stadium.[9][10]

The movie All The Right Moves was filmed in Johnstown and featured Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, and Lea Thompson. The high school football game scenes were shot at Point Stadium in the spring of 1983.[11]

Bon Jovi played the stadium's only concert on June 16, 1989, as part of their Jersey Syndicate Tour with opener Skid Row.

Pittsburgh Steelers practices

The Pittsburgh Steelers have used the stadium for in-season practices and workouts, the last time being during the 1987 strike season.[12][13]

References
  1. "Sargents Stadium". cityofjohnstownpa.net. City of Johnstown. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  2. Reichard, Kevin (September 1, 2020). "Prospect League adds Johnstown team for 2021". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  3. O'Reilly, Russ (May 28, 2021). "Photo Gallery | 'Baseball back in Johnstown': Mill Rats' inaugural game a first for many fans". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  4. "Johnstown's Historic Point Stadium: Home of the AAABA National Tournament". All-American Amateur Baseball Association. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  5. Mastovich, Mike (October 30, 2021). "'It's amazing': Johnstown unveils new turf at Sargent's Stadium at the Point". The Tribune-Democrat.
  6. Sutor, Dave (May 13, 2021). "Point Stadium improvements approved by council; $421K contract for new turf awarded". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  7. Slusser, Thomas (March 10, 2023). "Sargent's Stadium at the Point | Scoreboard Update". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  8. "Official Baseball Rules: 2.01 Layout of the Field" (PDF). Major League Baseball. 2018. p. 2.
  9. Jones, John E. (October 23, 1948). "Truman to head parade in city to Hunt Armory". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1 – via Google News.
  10. McFarland, Kermit (October 24, 1948). "Truman hits hard at Dewey for Taft-Hartley support". Pittsburgh Press. p. 1 – via Google News.
  11. "Town has illusion". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. March 15, 1983. p. 19 – via Google News.
  12. Kaplan, John (September 24, 1987). "Starting over". Pittsburgh Press. (photo). p. A1 – via Google News.
  13. Collier, Gene (September 24, 1987). "Jayvee practice". Pittsburgh Press. p. C1 – via Google News.
Events and tenants
Preceded by Host of the FL All-Star Game
Point Stadium
1995		 Succeeded by
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