On the Banks of the Dan

Exterior of stadium in Dan Daniel Memorial Park, Aug-2012.

The home dugout, the mascot, and the reserved seating.

The field looks out over a hill in the city park; spectators occasionally sit out on the hill.

Chronological Tour: Stop 180

• Location: West of US 29 Bypass, 1 exit south of US 58, Danville, Va. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1993
• Home team: Danville Braves (1993-2019), Otterbots (2021-present), Appalachian League; Danville 97s, Carolina League (1998)
• Capacity: 2,588

Rating: 2 baseballs

The park features three sections of stadium seats behind the plate and just flanking that on the base lines, all attached to aluminum structures, plus aluminum bleachers extending further out. The only view is of the hill into which the field is built. The Dan River does run below the park (meaning an insect population), but it is not visible, at least in the summer.

I didn’t care for the access to the sections, particularly section B directly behind the plate. They built wheelchair access ramps, which was wonderful, but they fan out to the sides while the concession and souvenir stands are located at the base of the press box, which rises behind section B. It makes it inconvenient to run down between innings. This is partially offset by the presence of waitresses working these center sections, which are labeled “box seats” at $7 apiece. Lest you think it’s too much of a big-league touch in the Appy League, the concessions are very reasonable – particularly on Thirsty Thursday, when a 32-ounce souvenir cup of pop is $1.

With the Appalachian League transforming into an MLB-sponsored college summer league for 2021, the team here has its own identity for the first time since the Carolina League 97s shared the park with the Braves in a pinch for one season. The occupants of the park are now known as the Otterbots. What’s an Otterbot? Well, it sort of rhymes, otters are fun (and live in rivers, though perhaps not the Dan), and the “bot” part comes from an increased presence of the technology industry in southern Virginia.