Ceremony Will Honor Range Riders Stadium as Ballpark of the Year
Glacier Bank Park will receive award as the 2023 Ballpark of the Year before Saturday's game against Great Falls
Before the Glacier Range Riders play their June 1 game against the Great Falls Voyagers, their home field will receive recognition as the 2023 Ballpark of the Year. Glacier Bank Park, one of the newest stadiums in professional baseball, was selected for the honor by BaseballParks.com, and recognized in an August 2023 edition of USA Today Sports Weekly.
"Glacier Bank Park clearly shows that an indy-league ballpark can be as good as any in the affiliated leagues," Joe Mock, founder and webmaster of BaseballParks.com, said in a press release. "Everything about the Range Riders' facility was done in a first-class manner, with amenities for fans and players that are the equal of any stadium in the upper Minors."
The Ballpark of the Year recognition was first awarded in 2000 and has been given to a single Major League or minor league ballpark that is new or has been rebuilt each year, with the exception of 2020, when the COVID pandemic canceled minor league play, and 2022, when two parks opened but were not considered finalized until last year.
The home of the Range Riders was up against two other indy league ballparks — Wisconsin Brewing Company Park, home of the Lake Country DockHounds, and Hinchliffe Stadium, new home of the New Jersey Jackals. A panel of three industry professionals, including Mock, evaluate the stadiums based on design, desirable location, and amenities for the fans. Glacier Bank Park's qualities led to a unanimous decision about the ballpark's place in the landscape of America's pastime.
Mock is a ballpark guide author who has visited more than 350 professional baseball stadiums, offering in-depth reviews of each location. In his review of Glacier Bank Park, Mock noted that the view from the seats is among the best in professional sports, as it is "hard to take your eyes off of the mountains while you're attending a game."
"I also want to emphasize that this is – and always has been – a merit-based award," Mock said in the release. "A ballpark doesn't win this because a team was successful in getting its fans to go online and vote. A park wins because it deserves to, with exceptional facilities, a first-rate game-day experience, and a gorgeous setting. Glacier Bank Park has all that and more."
The Glacier Range Riders are in the midst of a six-game series series against Great Falls, with home games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The team is 6-2 to start their third season in the Pioneer Baseball League, which has expanded to 12 teams with the addition of two California teams, the Oakland Ballers and the Yolo High Wheelers.