Pioneer Spirit

Main entrance to the Wightman Field complex, Mar-2007.

The grandstand, as seen from the press box of the adjacent football field.

The hitter’s background is a campus road with rocks painted by fraternities.

• Location: William Paterson University, Hamburg Turnpike and Haledon Avenue, Wayne, N.J. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2005 as Pioneer Baseball Park
• Additional names: Jeff Albies Field (2010)
• Home team: William Paterson Pioneers, New Jersey Athletic Conference
• Capacity: 700

Prior to 2005, the baseball team played on a field beyond right field of the current facility, which opened that spring and features a modern variety of artificial turf. I saw one game on the old field in 1995 but never photographed it.

In addition to the relocated field and the new turf, a new aluminum bleacher structure was erected, complete with a modern press box. Previously, the scoreboard was operated from a back window in the football press box, which was also replaced in the renovation process.

The baseball field at Wightman Field was dedicated as Jeff Albies Field in a ceremony held 3-Oct-2010 at the facility. Albies served as the Pioneers’ head coach for 33 seasons, and his teams won 862 games and two NCAA Division III national championships.