Baker University
Athletics Department Facilities

Football, Track and Field

Emil S. Liston Stadium

Directions from: Kansas City | Wichita | Topeka

Just a few blocks east of Baker's main campus lies the heart of the University's athletic facilities. Liston Stadium was built during the mid-1930s by a group of 30 young men trading labor for tuition money. The University planned to build a stadium in memory of 13 Baker alumni who lost their lives in World War I, but no funds were available. Legendary athletic figure Emil Liston came up with the plan to offer a college education for labor. Though many of the workers were inexperienced, they compensated with pride and the finished product was described in the Kansas City Star as one of the finest stadiums in the Midwest. Plaques honoring the 13 fallen soldiers adorn the pillars on the west side of the stadium's stone wall.

Liston Stadium will be the home for Wildcat football, track, and soccer for many years to come. The grandstand underwent a renovation project in the summer of 2002. The historical aspects were kept intact while stadium seats and the Tom Hedrick Press Box were added. Underneath the grandstand, the locker rooms received a facelift to make them roomier, lighter, and better-ventilated. As part of the Baker@150 campaign, the stadium's rubber track has been expanded to eight lanes so it can host championship meets and the field has been widened so it can host soccer games. The Univeristy unveiled its Field Turf surface in the fall of 2006. The new surface resembles the playing conditoins of real grass and is used for football, soccer and track.

 

 

Men's & Women's Basketball, Volleyball

George F. Collins, Jr. Sports and Convention Center

Directions from: Kansas City | Wichita | Topeka

The home of Baker's indoor athletic teams was completed in 1985 just in time for basketball season. The Collins Center can seat up to 1,800 spectators and is home to the Wildcat volleyball team, spirit squad, and men's and women's basketball teams. It also houses coaching offices for football, women's soccer, volleyball and men's basketball, four racquetball courts, Markham Conference Room, a jogging track, and the Baker Athletic Hall of Fame. It hosts several University and community events, including Baker's commencement ceremonies.

 

 

Baseball, Softball

Charlie Richard Outdoor Sports Facility & Cavaness Field

Directions from: Kansas City | Wichita | Topeka

West across Second Street from historic A.B. Cavaness Field and Emil S. Liston Stadium is Baker's versatile Charlie Richard Outdoor Sports Facility. The parcel is home to Sauder Field and the football practice field, and also hosts field events during track and field season. It is named after Baker's most successful football coach.

A.B. Cavaness, one of Kansas' outstanding poets and a member of the school's first graduating class in 1866, presented the ground where Liston Stadium and the softball field now sits in Baldwin City between First and Second streets and High and Grove streets. The softball stadium is now known as Cavaness Field. The leftfield wall borders Liston Stadium and part of Liston's historic stone wall extends down Cavaness Field's left fence.

 

 

Men's and Women's Soccer

North Park Soccer Fields

Directions from: Kansas City | Wichita | Topeka

Training Facilities

Mabee Memorial Hall

Directions from: Kansas City | Wichita | Topeka

Mabee Memorial Hall debuted as Taylor Hall in 1908 and is the place where President William Howard Taft delivered the first public pronouncement of the Federal Government for world peace on September 24, 1911. When the original building burned, it was restored in 1947 as Memorial Hall to honor those who served in World War II. When it was renovated in 1972 through a generous grant from the Mabee Foundation, it was given its present name. In 1995, Mabee Memorial Hall was completely renovated and houses the departments of Business, Psychology and Sociology. It is also home to the athletic director, physical education department and several coaches on the second floor. Baker's old gymnasium is still used on the hall's second floor. On the ground floor is the Shore Weight Room and the university's wellness center. Both are considered top-notch for a small college.