History
Illinois Field was constructed at its current location in 1988. The first game played there was a victory for Illinois over Western Illinois on March 24, 1988. Prior to this, the home of Illinois baseball was located farther north on campus at the intersection of Wright Street and University Avenue, which is now part of the engineering campus. That site, also known as Illinois Field, had been in use since 1884.
Illinois Field was originally known as Proano Stadium, after University of Illinois graduate Lou Proano. Proano was the then-CEO of a major cutlery company. However, the university was forced to rename the stadium Illinois Field in 1991 after Proano filed for bankruptcy.
Several significant renovations have taken place since the new stadium was built. First, in 1996, the clubhouse was renovated and expanded to twice its original size. Second, in 1999, lights were added to allow for night games. Illinois also won the first night game in Illinois Field history on April 27, 1999 against Illinois State. Third, in 2007, the grass playing surface was replaced with a synthetic FieldTurf surface that mimics natural grass without the maintenance requirements.
While Illinois Field has served as the home field for the University of Illinois Baseball Team for the past 20 years, it has not always been an exclusive relationship. In 1994, Illinois shared the premises with the Champaign-Urbana Bandits, a minor league team in the short-lived Great Central League. As of September 2007, there has been discussion between the city of Champaign, the University of Illinois, and the Frontier League of expanding the field and to allow the sale of alcohol at games to accommodate for a new minor league franchise. However, these discussions are only in the very beginning stages and no definitive steps have been made one way or the other. There are also plans to increase the seating capacity of the stadium in the future.
Illinois Field has hosted two Big Ten Baseball Tournaments, in 1998 and 2005, but has never hosted a NCAA Regional or Super Regional.
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