The Net

Exterior of the home-plate stand at Nettleton Stadium, Aug-2008.

A look at the seating bowl from the far left-field bleachers.

The field looks out upon other Chico State athletic facilities as well as the Union Pacific tracks.

Chronological Tour: Stop 337

• Location: College Drive off Warner Street, Chico, Calif.
• Opened: Before 1988 (stadium built 1997)
• Additional names: Bohler Field (1988); Nettleton Stadium (1997)
• Home team: Chico Heat, Western League (1997-2002); Chico Outlaws, Golden League (2005-10), North American League (2011); Chico State Wildcats, California Collegiate Athletic Association
• Capacity: 4,200

Rating: 4 baseballs

It’s a little difficult to find, as it is off the main drag. Twice, I have gotten lost approaching this ballpark. The good news is that it’s worth getting to. This is one of the premier facilities I have seen for NCAA Division II baseball.

There is a main grandstand flanked by larger bleacher sections, each of which has a concession stand built into its base. Picnic areas are located down each foul line, along with a real bleacher in deep left field. The field faces nearly due south, so third-base seats are in the sun for the first several innings of night games. Also, the Union Pacific line (which Route 99 parallels) runs past right field. Twice during the game I attended in August 2008, freight trains went by.

The Chico Heat were one of the most consistently successful franchises in the Western League, an independent loop that operated for several seasons. When the league folded at the end of the 2002 season, the upper Sacramento valley was left without pro ball until 2005, when the new Golden League began operations. The Outlaws lasted for seven years, the last in the North American League.