Bruce Hurst Field

The Flyers are getting ready to play the third game of a four-game season-opening series against the St. George RoadRunners at Bruce Hurst Field, tucked away in the southwest corner of Utah. Here's a few snapshots of the place that has played home to the first two wins of the Flyers 2010 season...

View from the first row of club-level seats

The field-level suites added to Bruce Hurst Field after the 2007 season.

A look at the main seating area of chair-back club seats under the press box.

A picturesque view over the right field wall

Nothing but plateaus and clear skies in the distance ... not a bad view at all.

UPDATED 5/29/2010, 10:34am

So here's the first of what I plan on making a season-long series of looks at the other ballparks in the GBL. We begin this journey in St. George, Utah, at Bruce Hurst Field, the home to the RoadRunners and the Dixie State College.

This quaint, 2,500-capacity ballpark gives all fans a quasi birds-eye view without the big-league nose-bleed seat strain. With the first row of seats raised about 15 feet off the field level, set above the dugouts, Bruce Hurst provides amazing sightlines for wherever you're seated. The club seats are located between the dugouts with a steep stadium layout that means no big oaf in front of you will block your view. The seats go up 8-10 rows in the main seating area, and metal bleachers provide general admission seating on top of the dugouts.

Some of the best premium seating in the GBL this side of the Telus Field Home Plate Club (Edmonton) can be found in St. George. The RoadRunners have just under a dozen field-level boxes that were added to the ballpark after the 2007 season where fans can enjoy the game with a view to rival that of the managers. Fans can hear the chatter in the dugout and smell the fresh cut grass.

The concession stands are all right. I wasn't a big fan of the hot dogs, but the burgers were can't-miss. And the soft-serve yogurt made me forget all about the famed 25 Main cupcakes of years past. Of course, the sodas are available in regular humanoid sizes as well as a jumbo 44oz that will provide any fan with diabetes with one refill.

As for the actual games played at Bruce Hurst Field, the ball is known the carry further than other ballparks in the league. Maybe it's the 2,000' elevation or the fact that the wind typically blows out to left field making it a haven for righties. In the past, the RoadRunners have compensated with a 24-foot wall in left field and a 20' wall that acts as a batters eye in center field. The formerly 24-foot wall in right was taken down this off-season for a 12-foot fence, which would be a scary prospect if the RoadRunners still had lefty slugger A.J. Valentine.

The road trip to St. George is always a great destination for fans of a visiting team, as the dozens of area golf courses and hiking trails provide plenty of outdoor enjoyment, but bring plenty of sunblock. This map-dot town tucked away in the southwest corner of Utah can hit triple-digit temperatures on a regular basis during the summer months, but don't be shocked with a thunderstorm rolls through with 30mph gusts of wind either.