Lights come on at downtown baseball stadium

On Aug. 3, the city of Beloit celebrated the opening of ABC Supply Stadium, the new riverside home for the Beloit Snappers minor league baseball team, a Class High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The new stadium ensures the future of minor league baseball in Beloit and adds the latest shot in the arm for Beloit’s thriving downtown.

Located on the southern edge of Beloit’s downtown near city hall, the stadium can hold up to 3,500 fans and will serve as a year-round community center in addition to hosting 66 games each season. ABC Supply Stadium is the product of a decades-long effort to replace Pohlman Field, the Snappers’ original home, which was outdated and located far from the city center. The new privately funded $37 million stadium sits next to the Rock River and was built in just over a year.

On a picture-perfect early September evening, Vice President for Student Life and Chief Diversity Officer Cecil Youngblood threw out the first pitch as the Snappers welcomed Beloit College staff and students and Beloit Health System employees to the stadium. The Snappers beat the South Bend Cubs that night 1-0.