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A new venue sits as the top college baseball experience in 2014 as Stadium Journey ranked South Carolina's Carolina Stadium as the top venue in college baseball. The home of the Gamecoks supplanted Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field as the top experience in college baseball, as the home of the Bulldogs finished fourth on the same list. Finishing ahead of Dudy Noble Field were South Carolina's Carolina Stadium, Miami (FL)'s Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Stadium, and Georgia Tech's Russ Chandler Stadium. Liberty Baseball Stadium, home of the Liberty Flames rounded out the top five.
In all, Stadium Journey writers reviewed 211 college baseball venues meaning some stadiums were not ranked because they had not yet been reviewed. The reviews are based on seven categories: food and drink, atmosphere, neighborhood, fans, access, return on investment, and extras.
The SEC dominated the rankings, landing the overall top spot and two of the top five spots. Over half of the conference, eight teams, found a spot in the top-20 of the rankings. Among the power five conference, the SEC, led by Carolina Stadium at No. 1, had the best average ranking at 26.5 for the 13 reviewed conference sites.
The ACC, led by Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Stadium, finished with an average venue ranking of 56.1. The Pac-12, led by Oregon's PK Park at No. 15, finished with an average venue ranking of 59.5. The Big Ten, led by Nebraska's Haymarket Park at No. 10 had an average venue ranking of 78, and the Big 12, led by Texas's UFCU-Disch Faulk Field at No. 8, had an average venue ranking of 78.3.
In all, the SEC baseball venues stacked up as follows:
- No. 1, Carolina Stadium, South Carolina Gamecocks
- No. 4, Dudy Noble Field, Mississippi State Bulldogs
- No. 6, Baum Stadium at George Cole Field, Arkansas Razorbacks
- No. 11, Alex Box Stadium, LSU Tigers
- No. 13, Hawkins Field, Vanderbilt Commodores
- No. 14, Foley Field, Georgia Bulldogs
- No. 19, Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field, Auburn Tigers
- No. 20, Lindsey Nelson Stadium, Tennessee Volunteers
- No. 21, Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, Texas A&M Aggies
- No. 30, Oxford-University Stadium Swayze Field, Ole Miss Rebels
- No. 46, McKethan Stadium, Florida Gators
- No. 56, Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Alabama Crimson Tide
- No. 104, Cliff Hagan Stadium, Kentucky Wildcats
- Not Reviewed: Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field, Missouri Tigers