Hyames Field

User Note: Follow the sidewalk around the side of the stadium towards the point on the map below. Feel free to use the staircases at this site to get a better view of Hyames Field, which is to the left of the stadium.

With the construction of Waldo Stadium, plans were created for a baseball field that would be situated right next to the improved athletic field. The hillside was excavated to make room for the stands and the realigned field, which quickly became home to the Western Normal baseball team. The field was officially named after Western alumnus and former baseball player Judson A. Hyames. The original field lasted until the early 2000s when the grandstands were upgraded, and new walkways were added. This remodel helped to improve the overall experience at the stadium and helped to secure the future of the facilities. Much like Waldo Stadium, Hyames Field is still being utilized as a baseball field and remains home for Bronco Baseball. 

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The land of the future baseball field, which included a large slope, was cut down to make room for an adequate field and stands when Western ceded the strip of land to the State Highway Department during the construction of Waldo Stadium. This project was also overseen by the Osborn Engineering Company and featured a covered concrete grandstand and a realigned baseball diamond. The grandstand totaled around 10,600 square feet and featured reinforced concrete steps with wooden seats for 2,500 spectators, as well as storage space, dugouts, and locker rooms.

At the dedication game in 1939, the field was officially named after Judson A. Hyames, in honor of his time on Western’s fifth baseball team and his 15 years of coaching. After the completion of the new field, Western’s baseball program continued to hold a superior presence in college baseball, with at least 11 members moving on to play major league baseball and around 56 continuing on with professional contracts.

This legacy was further supported when Hyames Field was chosen to host the 1947 and 1948 inaugural College World Series, which featured the University of California and Yale and the University of Southern California and Yale, respectively. Hyames Field continued to serve with its original construction until the early 2000s when it underwent renovations.

This included a full restoration of the grandstand, the addition of 400 chair back seats, new walkways, two new VIP suites, concession, improved dugouts, press box addition, and new fencing around the field. This remodel upgraded the facilities and made the stadium more accommodating for the baseball players and visitors.

Massie, Larry B. Brown and Golden Memories: Western Michigan University's First Century. Kalamazoo, MI: Western Michigan University, 2003. 

“Building and Material Equipment.” The Teachers College Herald. 1939. 

“East Campus Historic District,” National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1978), Section 7. 

Knauss, James O. The First Fifty Years: A History of Western Michigan College of Education, 1903-1953. Kalamazoo, MI: Western Michigan College of Education, 1953. 

Bullard, Willis, ed. “Dedication of Hyames Field Is Fitting Tribute.” The Teachers College Herald. May 2, 1939. 

Carlson, Sharon; Glatz, Jason, WMU Facilities Management. “WMU Campus History” [storymap], https://campus-history.library.wmich.edu/index.html. (Accessed February 17, 2022)