Shipley Field at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium has been the home of the Maryland baseball team for nearly 70 years. The field was constructed at an original cost of $40,000 during the winter of 1953-54 and opened with a Terrapins' 5-3 victory over Virginia Tech on April 3, 1954. It was dedicated as Shipley Field on March 28, 1956 with the Terps beating Dartmouth, 10-1. On May 8, 2010, it was re-dedicated as Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium. Smith is a Maryland baseball alumnus and also established the Bob "Turtle" Smith and Carol B. Smith Family Endowed Scholarship, Maryland's first fully-endowed baseball scholarship.
It is located right in the heart of the Maryland campus, in between Maryland Stadium and the Artificial Turf Facility. Currently, it has a seating capacity of 2,500. Its playing surface is FieldTurf (dirt mound) and the dimensions are 320 down the left field line, 385 to center and 325 down the right field line.
After Maryland’s record breaking 42-win season and second consecutive Super Regional appearance in 2015, Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium received the following enhancements.
- Installation of an all turf FieldTurf surface to replace the previous Sportexe Synthetic Turf in the infield and Bermuda Grass in the outfield. Maryland had been the only team in the Big Ten with a turf infield/grass outfield and the improvement will allow Maryland Baseball to keep competitive in the landscape of the conference.
- The installation of drainage under the all synthetic turf field, which allowed for a quicker resumption of play or practice after inclement weather.
- A new closed off bullpen for the home team was created for the players to warm up in a closed off area within the left field foul territory. The home and visitor bullpens are now turf, with the exception of the mounds, which are dirt.
- The outfield wall was redone to increase distance and make the batters eye part of the park. The new wall will also give a better look for fans, with enhanced graphics featuring Maryland’s recent rise to baseball prominence.
In 2014, Shipley Field served as the home for one of the best teams in Maryland history. The Terps posted a 40-23 record en route to a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1971 and a first-ever trip to the NCAA Super Regionals.In 2017, Maryland's 2017 NCAA Regional squad had one of the best records in stadium history, going 20-3 inside Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.
In 1982, Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium was the site of an exhibition game between the Terps and Earl Weaver's Baltimore Orioles. Eight years later, in 1990, the Soviet baseball team paid a visit to Shipley Field to take on the Terps in an exhibition series. The Double-A Bowie Baysox played home games at Shipley in 1994.
Shipley Field has been hosting night games since a set of permanent lights were installed prior to the 1994 season.
Shipley Field is named after legendary Terps' coach H. Burton Shipley, who was the Maryland skipper from 1924-1960.
The Terps have played well over the years at Shipley Field. The Terrapins are 766-484-7 (.612) all-time at Shipley Field and have posted numerous victories against top-25 teams in the field's existence.
| Year-By-Year at Shipley Field(Since 1965) |
| Year |
Overall Rec. |
Conf. Rec. |
| 1965 |
14-3 |
8-0 |
| 1966 |
7-4 |
4-1 |
| 1967 |
8-4 |
3-3 |
| 1968 |
11-2 |
6-2 |
| 1969 |
12-2 |
8-2 |
| 1970 |
13-5 |
8-3 |
| 1971 |
8-3 |
4-1 |
| 1972 |
9-2 |
6-2 |
| 1973 |
7-2 |
3-3 |
| 1974 |
5-4 |
4-2 |
| 1975 |
8-4 |
4-1 |
| 1976 |
11-3-1 |
4-1 |
| 1977 |
8-4-1 |
4-1-1 |
| 1978 |
6-3 |
1-3 |
| 1979 |
8-8 |
3-3 |
| 1980 |
11-0 |
5-0 |
| 1981 |
16-3 |
6-0 |
| 1982 |
6-1 |
2-0 |
| 1983 |
9-6 |
3-3 |
| 1984 |
8-2-2 |
4-1 |
| 1985 |
12-12 |
3-6 |
| 1986 |
12-8-1 |
3-4 |
| 1987 |
10-8-1 |
3-3 |
| 1988 |
12-5 |
4-4 |
| 1989 |
14-7 |
4-4 |
| 1990 |
16-12 |
1-7 |
| 1991 |
18-9 |
1-5 |
| 1992 |
24-9 |
4-3 |
| 1993 |
15-8 |
2-7 |
| 1994 |
15-11-1 |
4-8 |
| 1995 |
11-16 |
1-11 |
| 1996 |
13-11 |
4-8 |
| 1997 |
13-14 |
3-9 |
| 1998 |
16-10 |
4-8 |
| 1999 |
10-18 |
1-10 |
| 2000 |
14-13 |
5-7 |
| 2001 |
9-16 |
3-9 |
| 2002 |
25-8 |
6-6 |
| 2003 |
11-16 |
2-10 |
| 2004 |
15-14 |
2-10 |
| 2005 |
14-17 |
3-12 |
| 2006 |
18-10 |
5-10 |
| 2007 |
17-14 |
3-12 |
| 2008 |
20-12 |
5-10 |
| 2009 |
21-9 |
6-9 |
| 2010 |
11-20 |
2-13 |
| 2011 |
14-16 |
3-12 |
| 2012 |
19-10 |
6-9 |
| 2013 |
20-12 |
6-9 |
| 2014 |
21-7 |
9-5 |
| 2015 |
15-9 |
7-5 |
| 2016 |
15-10 |
7-5 |
| 2017 |
20-3 |
9-3 |
| 2018 |
13-13 |
6-6 |
| 2019 |
11-15 |
5-7 |
| 2020 (COVID Season) |
7-2 |
0-0 |
| 2021 |
16-4 |
16-4 |
| 2022 |
24-2 |
10-2 |
| Totals |
766-484-7 |
258-294-1 |
