Valley Strong Ballpark

{{short description|Baseball stadium in Visalia, California}} {{More citations needed|date=February 2012}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox venue | name = Valley Strong Ballpark | nickname = Rec Park | logo_image = Valley Strong Ballpark (Visalia) Logo.png | image = Valley Strong Ballpark at sunset, Visalia, California.jpg | image_size = 250px | location = 300 North Giddings Street Visalia, CA 93291 | coordinates = {{Coord|36|19|57|N|119|18|17|W|display=inline,title}} | broke_ground = 1946 | opened = April 1946 | renovated = 1967, 2002, 2009 | closed = | demolished = | owner = City of Visalia | operator = Visalia Rawhide Baseball Club | surface = Grass | construction_cost = $50,000 (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|50000|1946}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) $11.6 million (renovations) | architect = Fehlman & LeBarre (renovations) | former_names = | tenants = Visalia Rawhide (CL) (2009–present) | seating_capacity = 2,468 (1,888 permanent stadium seats) | dimensions = '''Left Field''' - 320 ft '''Left-Center Power Alley''' - 365 ft '''Center Field''' - 405 ft '''Right-Center Power Alley''' - 365 ft '''Right Field''' - 320 ft '''Backstop''' - 50 ft }}

'''Valley Strong Ballpark''' is a minor league baseball stadium in Visalia, California. The stadium, formerly known as Recreation Ballpark,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-28|title=Rawhide sells ballpark's name to Valley Strong Credit Union|url=https://thesungazette.com/article/visalia/2021/04/28/rawhide-sign-strong-deal-for-naming-rights/|access-date=2021-04-30|website=The Sun-Gazette Newspaper|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-28|title=Visalia Rawhide partners with Valley Strong Credit Union, changes park name to "Valley Strong Ballpark"|url=https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/sports/visalia-rawhide-partners-with-valley-strong-credit-union-changes-park-name-to-valley-strong-ballpark/|access-date=2021-04-30|website=YourCentralValley.com|language=en-US}}</ref> currently serves as the home to the Visalia Rawhide of the California League. The Rawhide is an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Valley Strong Ballpark |url=https://www.milb.com/visalia/ballpark |website=Minor League Baseball |language=en}}</ref>

With only 1,888 seats, plus capacity for another 580 fans on a lawn, it is the smallest MLB-affiliated ballpark.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2019/09/23/visalia-pay-3-6-m-keep-rawhide-recreation-ballpark-10-years/2353978001/|title=Visalia to pay $3.6M over 10 years to keep Rawhide at Recreation Ballpark. Are they worth it?|last=Yeager|first=Joshua|website=Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register|language=en|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref>

The ballpark was built by the city of Visalia in 1946. In 2003, the stadium began a six-year renovation and expansion that added a grandstand and more seats on the third-base side. It is one of the oldest active ballparks in Minor League Baseball.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.milb.com/news/oldest-11-minor-league-ballparks |title=Been a while: Oldest Minor League ballparks |first=Benjamin |last=Hill |website=Minor League Baseball |date=February 18, 2021 |access-date=April 18, 2021}}</ref>

From 2014 to 2018, Valley Strong Ballpark hosted Divisions I-VI of the California Interscholastic Federation Central Section Baseball Championships, before relocating in 2019 to Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium at California State University, Fresno.<ref>{{cite web |title=Recreation Ballpark|url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-469230|publisher=Minor League Baseball|date=October 15, 2008|access-date=February 1, 2012}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|2}}

==External links== *[https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-469230 Recreation Ballpark | Visalia Rawhide Recreation Ballpark] *[http://www.ci.visalia.ca.us/depts/parks_n_recreation/parkinfo/recreation_park.asp City of Visalia - Recreation Park]

Category:Minor league baseball venues in California Category:Sports venues in Tulare County, California Category:Buildings and structures in Visalia, California Category:Sports in Visalia, California Category:California League ballparks Category:1946 establishments in California Category:Sports venues completed in 1946