I’m the type of baseball road tripper who meticulously plans every small detail of a trip.
This approach helps to ensure I don’t miss anything I want to see or do, but it also doesn’t leave much time for spontaneity. There are times, however, that I set my original plans aside and make a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Sunday, May 12, was one of those times.
After waking up in Winston-Salem after a fun evening at Truist Stadium, I spent a couple of hours walking around the Old Salem district. As I returned to my hotel to pack up and check out, I started to dissect my plans for the day. I needed to be in Chapel Hill — about 90 minutes away — for dinner, and had a few stops to make along the route. My original plan was to head to Truist Stadium for a 2 p.m. Dash game, knowing I wouldn’t be able to attend the whole thing. For some reason, I wasn’t really feeling this plan — and that was OK.
Not exactly sure how my day would shape up, I decided to hit the road toward Chapel Hill. But before I got onto I-40, I swung past David F. Couch Ballpark, home of the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons. I’ve often enjoyed checking out college baseball fields on my travels, and figured I’d park, take a lap around the field, and snap a few pictures before continuing on my way.
That plan changed a little as I approached the ballpark. I saw cars flowing into the parking lot and people tailgating. When I lowered my rental car window, I heard music booming through the ballpark’s sound system.
These were sure signs that this was a game day, and that batting practice was taking place.
Just after 11 a.m., I illegally parked my vehicle in an unused parking lot a short distance from the ballpark and decided to start my visit with a walkaround. Of course, I had to begin with a shot of the main gates:
“The Couch,” as it’s commonly known, has a rich history beyond Wake Forest’s use. The facility dates back to 1956, and was the home field for the Winston-Salem Dash franchise for several decades. The current iteration of the Dash played at The Couch in 2009; in the years prior, the ballpark hosted the Winston-Salem Warthogs, Winston-Salem Spirits, Winston-Salem Red Sox, and Winston-Salem Red Birds — all members of the Carolina League.
After taking the photo above, I walked through a parking lot filled with tailgaters and positioned my phone above a fence to get this shot:
Quite a nice-looking ballpark, right? With each passing minute, I felt more convinced I needed to attend at least some of the game, rather than just snap some shots and continue on my way.
First, though, I continued my walkaround by moving along Shorefair Drive, which runs beyond right field. As I made my way through the grass beside the road, I spotted a baseball resting against the curb:
This was a shock to me, given my distance from the field. I later used the measurement tool on Google Maps to estimate the ball’s position at roughly 475 feet from home plate. On the map below, I’ve identified where the ball was sitting:
I have to assume that a home run landed on the paved area behind the right-center field fence, bounced high over the row of evergreen trees, and rolled across the road. I quickly scooped it up and photographed it:
This is only the second NCAA baseball in my collection. I previously found one outside the ballpark at a Lakewood Blue Claws game. (The park had hosted an NCAA regional tournament a few days prior.) The ball I’d just picked up showed plenty of wear, with a nicely worn ACC logo on the panel above my thumb.
As the game’s noon start time got closer, I returned to my vehicle, parked in a proper lot, and made my way back to the ballpark to buy a ticket:
How sweet is this paper ticket? In today’s age of e-tickets, I was happy to physically hold a ticket in my hand for the first time in a long time.
I quickly entered the ballpark after taking the shot of my ticket, and soon found myself standing behind home plate with this view:
I knew I wouldn’t have time to stay for the entire game, but that was OK. I was just happy to finally be attending my first NCAA baseball game. Granted, I focus on MLB and MiLB for my website, but I’ve wanted to see some NCAA action for a few years and was pleased to be making it happen on this day. Given that I have no plans to write guides to NCAA ballparks for my website, this visit was low-key and relaxed; my priorities were to enjoy the experience and snap some pictures, rather than meticulously document the ballpark.
Next, I made my way to the seats on the third base side, which offered me this view of the field and grandstand:
I had to chuckle at the seating configuration, which you may have noticed above. The seats above the home dugout are standard folding stadium seats. As for the seats above the visitors’ dugout? They’re traditional aluminum bleachers, perhaps helping to ensure that fans of the visiting team don’t get too comfortable at The Couch.
For the next 10 or so minutes, I checked out both teams’ bullpen areas. Of note, the home bullpen is tidily tucked behind a fence down the third base line, as you’ll see here …
… while the visiting team’s bullpen is situated in foul territory:
Given that I didn’t expect to be attending this game, I originally presumed I’d eat lunch somewhere along my drive to Chapel Hill. Visiting the ballpark meant I had a chance to enjoy another ballpark meal, which is something I seldom turn down. I didn’t have any idea what food options might be available at the NCAA level, but I was impressed with the selection at the ballpark’s concession stand. One item that caught my eye was called the “Couch Potato,” which offered the clever tagline, “Eat a Couch Potato at The Couch.” This item was a baked potato covered in nacho cheese and topped with ground beef, secret sauce, a dill pickle, and jalapenos.
The Couch Potato sounded really good, but I decided to pass in favor of a simple hot dog:
As someone who typically seeks out unusual or over-the-top concession items at ballparks, it was nice to enjoy this timeless classic for a change.
I munched on the hot dog and drank a bottle of water on the bleachers down the first base line, which is where I remained for the first inning. From the opening pitch, I was impressed with the energy and overall vibe at the ballpark. I don’t know that I had any expectations about what I might experience, but the energy was much more upbeat than I’ve encountered at most of the other parks I’ve visited. The fans had all sorts of chants, songs, and clapping routines; even the WF players got into some of the clapping routines from the dugout.
After an inning and a half on the first base side, I moved around to a seat behind the Wake dugout, where I had this view:
Going into this game, I didn’t realize that NCAA baseball had reviewable plays. Learning this surprised me a little, and it turned out that I’d chosen a good seat — the reviews took place just in front of me. There ended up being three challenges in the game, (two that stood and one that was overturned) and I had a good view of the action during this process.
Even though I was loving the game and the atmosphere, I couldn’t resist doing a little exploring of the ballpark. One thing I enjoyed checking out was the view of Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, home of the Wake Forest football team. The field is situated adjacent to the ballpark, making it visible from the ballpark’s third base side:
After a little more exploring, I settled into the bleachers for an inning …
… before hanging out on the concourse near home plate to take this selfie:
Pretty soon, it was time to get back on the road toward my next destination, so I had to reluctantly pull the plug on my Wake Forest baseball experience. I’m so happy that I was able to finally attend an NCAA baseball game. And, more importantly, that it was such a fun visit. Even though I’ll continue to focus on major league and minor league ballparks moving forward, I think I’ll be more diligent about looking for opportunities to see live college baseball when there’s an opportunity.
