Eddy D. Field Stadium: A Picturesque Home for Pepperdine Waves Baseball
Eddy D. Field Stadium, a collegiate baseball facility, has been the home of the Pepperdine Waves baseball team since its opening in 1973. Located on the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, the stadium offers scenic views of the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island, and surrounding palm trees. Originally constructed as Waves Park, it was renamed in honor of philanthropist and longtime university benefactor Eddy D.
Construction and Inauguration
Eddy D. Field Stadium, originally known as Waves Park, was constructed on a hillside of Pepperdine University's newly established Malibu campus. The site was selected as part of the university's relocation from Los Angeles to Malibu, completed in 1972, to support the expansion of its athletic programs in the scenic coastal setting. The stadium opened on February 16, 1973, with Pepperdine's first game at the facility resulting in a 5-2 victory over Whittier College. This inaugural event marked the beginning of the Waves baseball team's home games at the new venue, aligning with the university's efforts to build out athletic infrastructure following the Malibu campus opening. Initial capacity details for 1973 are not extensively documented, but the facility was designed with modest bleacher seating to host university games and community events, reflecting the program's focus on developing competitive athletics in the new location.
Dedication and Upgrades
In 1980, bleacher seating was added, and the facility was officially dedicated as Eddy D. Field Stadium on March 30, 1980, honoring longtime Pepperdine benefactor Eddy D. Pepperdine defeated Nebraska by a final score of 5-4 on that date.
In 2007, the stadium underwent modernizations that added a video scoreboard and upgrades to locker rooms, batting cages, and fencing, contributing to a more professional environment and better supporting team training and game-day operations. These changes have collectively elevated the stadium's amenities without altering its core capacity, maintaining its reputation as an intimate, scenic venue perched on a Malibu hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
In a partnership with Pepperdine University, Daktronics of Brookings, South Dakota, designed, manufactured and installed new LED video displays on campus. For baseball, an all-in-one video display was installed in right field of Eddy D. Field Stadium to replace the previous video display that served them for 15 years and increased their video capabilities by more than 525 square feet. The new all-in-one baseball video display measures approximately 13.5 feet high by 47 feet wide. The display features a 15HD pixel layout to bring crisp clear imagery to videos, replays, statistics, animations and other graphics. The video display is capable of variable content zoning allowing them each to show one large image or to show multiple zones of content including any combination of content mentioned above. These displays also feature industry-leading environmental protection to operate as expected in the California weather.
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Pepperdine Waves Baseball
Eddy D. Field Stadium has served as the home venue for the Pepperdine Waves baseball team since its opening in 1973, coinciding with the program's transition to the Malibu campus. The Waves, competing in NCAA Division I, initially affiliated with the West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC, predecessor to the West Coast Conference) from 1973 to 1976, during which they won three consecutive regular-season titles under coach Wayne Wright. The program then joined the Southern California Baseball Association (SCBA) from 1977 to 1984, achieving competitive finishes but no championships, before returning to the West Coast Conference (WCC) in 1985, where it has remained and secured 15 regular-season titles through 2018. Under coaches like Dave Gorrie (1979-1988) and Andy Lopez (1989-1994), the Waves posted dominant home records, including a .942 winning percentage in 1992 en route to the program's only College World Series national championship.
The stadium has been central to several team milestones, with Pepperdine maintaining a winning home record in every season but one since 1974, compiling an approximate 70% home win percentage through 2017 (934-396-13 home record, adjusted for NCAA sanctions). Notable achievements include hosting the program's first NCAA Regional in 2006, where the Waves went 2-2 against Missouri and UCLA, and setting home records such as 31 wins in 1985 and a 24-1-1 mark in 1992. Individual feats tied to the venue encompass career leaders like pitcher Barry Enright's 35 wins (many at home from 2006-2009) and batter Steve Rodriguez's .419 average in 1991, contributing to sustained success in WCC play.
Annually, Eddy D. Field Stadium hosts the majority of the Waves' 25-30 home games as part of a 50-56 game schedule, primarily against WCC opponents like Loyola Marymount and San Diego, alongside non-conference series. Attendance trends reflect the stadium's 1,800-2,000 capacity, with crowds often modest for regular-season games-described as sparse at a basketball-focused university-but swelling for key matchups, such as NCAA Regionals or rivalry series.
The stadium integrates seamlessly with Pepperdine University's athletics department, providing dedicated spaces like self-contained clubhouses and locker rooms beneath the grandstands for the coaching staff and players, alongside batting cages, a weight room, and enhanced training areas renovated in 2007 and 2008. These facilities support the 6-8 member coaching staff, including assistants focused on player development, and align with the department's "Competing with Purpose" initiative emphasizing holistic growth.
Other Events
Eddy D. Field Stadium has hosted several significant events beyond regular-season Pepperdine Waves baseball games. Beyond its primary use, the venue has served non-baseball purposes, including community fundraising efforts.
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In January 2018 and January 2019, Eddy D. Field Stadium played host to the California Strong Celebrity Softball Game. Started in January of 2019, California Strong sought to raise money for those affected by the Borderline Bar shooting and the string of fires that ravaged the California communities in November of 2019. Major League Baseball Players Ryan Braun, Mike Moustakas and Christian Yelich, along with NFL quarterback Jared Goff and Mike Attanasio from the Milwaukee Brewers ownership group founded California Strong and have raised over 2.1 million dollars for household across the state who have been affected by tragedy. The softball games drew droves of crowds to Malibu, as celebrities such as Adam Sandler, Jamie Foxx, Brad Paisley, Charlie Sheen and many others played a slowpitch softball game on the field.
Recognition and Atmosphere
Eddy D. Field Stadium has received acclaim for its atmosphere and setting. In 2006, college baseball writer Eric Sorenson of CSTV (now CBSSN) ranked it as the top college baseball stadium in NCAA Division I, praising its cliffside location on Pepperdine's Malibu campus, views of the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island beyond left field, palm tree surroundings, manicured field, screen-free sightlines, comfortable seating, and intriguing non-conference matchups, while noting affordable $8 admission and a vibrant co-ed crowd. In a 2016 D1Baseball.com survey of coaches and sports information directors, it placed No. 21 overall in the Top 25 best college baseball stadiums-the highest in the West Coast Conference-and earned the No.
Dimensions and Key Features
- Location: Malibu, California
- Home Team: Pepperdine Waves
- Surface: Grass
- Dimensions: LF-330, CF-400, RF-330
- Capacity: 1,800-2,000
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