| A rather old minor league stadium (built in 1956), Ernie Shore Field (now known as David F. Couch Ballpark) was renovated in the early 2000's. The outside brick facade is gorgeous, which is maybe why I was a bit disappointed with the interior of the park. Set in a bowl, the seats are at a steep angle, a little far from the action, and a bit cramped. At least there are some seats that are covered behind home plate, but not many since the latest renovations. The concourse area is above all the seats and runs all the way to the end of the bleachers down both lines. There are several concession stands in a courtyard like area above both the first and third base bleachers. The concourse area behind home plate houses the souvenir shop. In the right field area, there is an elaborate play area, including a carousel, for the kids. The Warthogs do many of the typical on field promotions between innings, but didn't seem to over-do it as much as some teams do. Overall, a decent old-time ballpark with a pretty good baseball atmosphere. With so many other nearby cities (like Greensboro) getting new ballparks, it was only a matter of time before Winston-Salem followed suit. A new downtown ballpark for the Warthogs to replace Ernie Shore Field was to open in 2009, but was delayed a year because of funding issues and instead opened in 2010. After the minor league team moved out, Ernie Shore Field was taken over by Wake Forest University and has since undergone extensive renovations.
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