Four Winds Field Gains National Recognition
The home of the South Bend Cubs has received a major award from a national publication. Ballpark Digest has named Four Winds Field the best Class-A ballpark in the country.
The winner was determined in a bracket-style contest and Four Winds Field was ranked as an eight seed when the contest began. The ballpark beat other top-ranked facilities, including Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, which was the number one seed.
Four Winds Field received 56 percent of the vote in the finals, defeating Modern Woodman Park, the home of the Quad Cities River Bandits in Iowa. Ballpark Digest says a third of the voters work in the baseball industry, a third sell to the baseball industry and the final third is comprised of fans and media.
"It’s incredibly humbling to see the outpouring of support in this competition," said Joe Hart, president of the South Bend Cubs. "When I first came to South Bend, the facility had recently received an upgrade, while maintaining it’s classic charm. But it was still lacking in a few key areas that we identified and quickly resolved. Now, Four Winds Field is not just a great ballpark, it’s the Best of the Ballparks."
The area surrounding Four Winds Field is currently getting a boost with the construction of The Ivy at Berlin Place, a mixed-use development which is the brainchild of South Bend Cubs Owner Andrew Berlin.