Point Loma Nazarene University, with its cliffside location and panoramic views, found itself featured by MLB.com for a “look inside America’s most scenic ballpark.”
Carroll B. Land Stadium, with the Pacific Ocean providing a backdrop in the outfield, has long been a campus point of pride, and has undergone changes to enhance the field for players and the view for spectators.
For instance, the outfield chain-link fence has been padded, with the exception of what the university calls the “windows,” where the chain-link fence remains in place so spectators can take in the game and the ocean all at once.
Nor are the players immune. “You can never get too much of it,” PLNU infielder Otto Kemp told MLB.
But in case they start to take it for granted, head coach and former PLNU player Justin James steps in.
“So every couple of days or so,” he told MLB, “I make sure to remind the guys to take a minute or two to remember and notice and be grateful for what we get. It’s literally paradise.”
The turf has also been meticulously cared for by a turf specialist who learned his craft from a Petco Park groundskeeper, making it one of the smoothest playing surfaces in college baseball.
And oh yeah, the ball club fits the pretty picture. This year’s team has compiled a 33-5 record and is ranked No. 5 in the nation in the latest NCAA Division 2 poll.