Arthur W. Perdue Stadium

{{Short description|Baseball stadium in Salisbury, Maryland, US}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Infobox venue

| stadium_name = Arthur W. Perdue Stadium

| nickname =

| logo_image = Arthur_W._Perdue_Stadium.jpg

| image = Shorebirdsgame.jpg

| image_size = 300px

| caption = Interior of Arthur W. Perdue Stadium

| fullname =

| location = 6400 Hobbs Road
Salisbury, MD 21804

| coordinates = {{coord|38|22|11|N|75|31|46|W|display=inline,title}}

| broke_ground = August 18, 1994{{cite news |title=Groundbreaking For Eastern Shore Minor League Park |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72268908.html?dids=72268908:72268908&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+19%2C+1994&author=&pub=The+Washington+Post+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Groundbreaking+For+Eastern+Shore+Minor+League+Park&pqatl=google |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 19, 1994 |accessdate=March 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012011744/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/doc/307773353.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug%2019,%201994&author=&pub=The%20Washington%20Post%20(pre-1997%20Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=&desc=Groundbreaking%20For%20Eastern%20Shore%20Minor%20League%20Park |archive-date=2016-10-12}}

| built =

| opened = April 17, 1996

| renovated = 2014–2019

| expanded =

| closed =

| demolished =

| owner = Wicomico County

| operator = 7th Inning Stretch LP

| surface = Grass

| construction_cost = $11.5 million
(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|11500000|1996}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})

| architect = The Design Exchange

| structural engineer = Davis, Bowen & Friedel, Inc.{{cite web |title=Arthur W. Perdue Stadium Salisbury, Maryland |url=http://www.dbfinc.com/projects/structural/perdue.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120728133403/http://www.dbfinc.com/projects/structural/perdue.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 28, 2012 |publisher=Davis, Bowen & Friedel, Inc. |accessdate=March 8, 2014 }}

| general_contractor = W. B. Venables & Sons, Inc.

| project_manager = National Sports Services

| main_contractors =

| former_names =

| tenants = Delmarva Shorebirds (SAL/Low-A East/Carolina League) 1996–present
UMES Hawks (MEAC) 2018–2019
Delmarva Rockfish (MFB) 1998

| seating_capacity = 5,200

| dimensions = Left Field: {{convert|309|ft|abbr=on}}
Center Field: {{convert|402|ft|abbr=on}}
Right Field: {{convert|309|ft|abbr=on}}

}}

Arthur W. Perdue Stadium is a baseball stadium in Salisbury, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Orioles Carolina League affiliate Delmarva Shorebirds. Named for the founder of Perdue Farms, Arthur Perdue, it features the Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame.{{cite web |url=http://www.esbhalloffame.org/ |title=Eastern Shore Baseball Foundation – Home |website=www.esbhalloffame.org |access-date=2019-03-03}} The stadium seats 5,200 fans and opened in 1996.{{cite web |url=http://www.spectraexperiences.com/our-clients/arthur-w-perdue-stadium/ |title=Spectra |website=www.spectraexperiences.com |access-date=2019-03-03}}

As the second-largest seating venue in Salisbury, it also occasionally is used for concerts or other events. Until 2016, the larger Wicomico Youth and Civic Center had a real covenant against serving alcohol.{{cite news |last1=Holland |first1=Liz |title=Civic center gets long-awaited liquor license |url=https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2016/06/21/civic-center-alcohol/86213854/ |accessdate=June 16, 2018 |work=The Daily Times |date=June 21, 2016}} As such, the stadium was chosen as the venue for Fernando Guerrero's middleweight title-winning boxing match in October 2009.{{cite web |url=https://www.milb.com/delmarva/news/gcs-6953194 |title=Fernando Guerrero vs. Ossie Duran in N.A.B.O. Title Bout |website=Minor League Baseball |language=en |access-date=2019-03-03 |date=September 14, 2009}}

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) played their 2018 and 2019 seasons at Perdue Stadium while Hawk Stadium in Princess Anne was renovated.{{cite news |last1=Pollitt |first1=Richard |title=UMES baseball coach Brian Hollamon looks to build program in second season |url=https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/sports/2019/02/14/umes-baseball-coach-looks-build-program-second-season/2859915002/ |accessdate=June 13, 2019 |work=The Daily Times |date=February 14, 2019 |language=en |quote=For a second straight season, UMES will play its home games at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium ... while the Princess Anne field continues to undergo improvements.}} Perdue Stadium hosted the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball tournament from 2015 to 2017.{{cite web |title=The Shore to play 2018 baseball season at Perdue Stadium |url=https://easternshorehawks.com/news/2018/2/22/The_Shore_to_play_2018_baseball_season_at_Perdue_Stadium.aspx |website=Maryland Eastern Shore Athletics|publisher=University of Maryland Eastern Shore |date=February 22, 2018 |accessdate=February 22, 2018}}

In 1998, the stadium hosted the Delmarva Rockfish, a team in the single-season Maryland Fall Baseball league.{{cite news |last1=Scherr |first1=Rich |title=BASEBALL IN AUTUMN MIGHT RISE OR FALL |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1998/07/15/baseball-in-autumn-might-rise-or-fall/528dd9f1-9518-4759-a5dc-826beb71daa6/ |accessdate=5 September 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=15 July 1998}}{{cite news |last1=Northam |first1=Mitchell |title=20 Years: The Delmarva Shorebirds |url=http://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/local/maryland/2015/09/13/shorebirds-oral-history/71925408/ |accessdate=February 22, 2018 |work=The Daily Times |date=September 10, 2015}}