Gene Hooks Stadium was a baseball stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It served as the primary home field of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons baseball program from 1981 through 2008.
History
The stadium was first used in March 1981 under its original name, Layton Field, and was officially dedicated on April 18, 1981. On April 23, 1988, it was renamed in honor of Gene Hooks, the former athletic director of Wake Forest University.
The ballpark was located on the Wake Forest University campus, north of Faculty Drive (home plate and first base side) and a short distance east of Wingate Road (third base side). It had a capacity of 2,500 spectators. Field dimensions were 335 feet (102 m) to left field, 400 feet (120 m) to center field, and 315 feet (96 m) to right field. Beyond right field were trees, and beyond left and center field was a small practice golf course. The stadium sat less than a mile west of BB&T Field and Ernie Shore Field.
Wake Forest's final game at Gene Hooks Stadium was a 9–4 victory over the Duke Blue Devils on May 11, 2008.
Closure and Demolition
Following the 2008 season, the Wake Forest baseball team moved back on a full-time basis to their previous home, Ernie Shore Field, which was renamed Gene Hooks Field at Wake Forest Baseball Park (later renamed David F. Couch Ballpark). Gene Hooks Stadium was subsequently demolished to make way for an expansion of the golf practice course. The walkway forming the boundary of the southwest portion of the practice course roughly outlines the outer edge of the site of the ballpark's grandstand.
