The crown jewel of Tulane University's athletic facilities, Greer Field at Turchin Stadium will serve as home for the Green Wave baseball team.

The brand new, state-of-the-art facility opened in 2008 and was built for a cost of $10.5 million and is named in honor of Philip Greer and Robert and Lillian Turchin - the namesake of the old Turchin Stadium.

A pro-style stadium with a capacity of 5,000, Greer Field at Turchin Stadium features a grandstand design of structural steel, which increases the number of chair-back seats from 900 to over 2,700. In addition the facility also features private suites, an open-air club suite, a partially covered seating area and a new press box. The Green Wave's facility also features a different playing surface in FieldTurf - the same surface used by several Major League Baseball and NFL stadiums. The FieldTurf replaces the natural-grass surface that the old Turchin Stadium had since its opening in 1991. The entire field, with the exclusion of the pitcher's mound, is FieldTurf, which all but eliminates the possibility of inclement weather making the field unplayable.

A view of outside of the stadium, walking down the right field line.

Four private suites flank the breezeway on the first- base line and include air-conditioned kitchenette and restroom facilities. Suites are sold on multi-year leases and are accessible via elevator, which also provides access to the press box. For the first time, the press box includes individual broadcast booths, Ethernet capability and expanded space for the print media. An updated sound system, a new padded outfield wall, concession stands, restrooms and an expanded merchandise sales area make the facility one of the finest in the nation.

The lighting system, the line-score portion of the scoreboard and the Theresa Sofio Hitting Facility are the lone holdovers from the old Turchin Stadium, and nearly every other area of the stadium has been replaced as part of the construction.

The exterior of the stadium is more fan-friendly, as well, as the fans enter the stadium via Goldring Plaza.

The Plaza features commemorative bricks purchased in a fundraising drive by Tulane's die-hard fans. Inside, a new video board was installed above the scoreboard in left field, which will allow Green Wave fans to enjoy video clips, in-game replays and updated statistics of the teams playing that day. Along with the esthetics of Goldring Plaza, the corridors of Greer Field at Turchin Stadium feature oversized images of some of the Green Wave's most memorable moments on the diamond.

The Mickey Retif Memorial Clubhouse, located on the second floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center, also underwent a complete overhaul and now features 40 wooden lockers, nine flat-screen television sets, DVD and VCR players, and a CD/Stereo system. The clubhouse also features a keypad entry system that gives the student-athletes unlimited access, a player's lounge, shower facilities and a locker room for the coaching staff.

To take a virtual tour of the Mickey Retif Memorial Clubhouse, click here

Since moving to its current location for the 1991 season, Tulane's home field has been a true advantage as the Green Wave sports a .750 winning percentage in games played within its friendly confines. The old Turchin Stadium has played host to the 1992 Metro Conference Tournament and the 1997 and 2003 C-USA Tournaments as well as the 2001 and 2005 NCAA New Orleans Regionals and the 2005 NCAA New Orleans Super Regional.

Home-field advantage came into play in all six tournaments with the Green Wave winning the 1992 league championship and all three NCAA events while advancing to the semifinals in 1997 and the finals in 2003.

The Green Wave baseball team has played in the current vicinity for more than 40 years. The ballpark was originally named Tulane Diamond and was located about 100 feet south of its current location.

Up until 1985, the dimensions were 347 and 353 to the power alleys in left and right field, respectively. The new park measures 325 down the lines, 370 to the power alleys and 400 feet to straightaway center. The old outfield wall will be replaced with a new padded wall to help ensure the safety and well being of both the home and visiting teams' student-athletes.

Lights were originally added in 1991 with eight banks of between 22 and 30 lights illuminating Turchin Stadium. Also new to the stadium in 1991 was the addition of permanent seating, a luxury box, a press box and a state-of-the-art computerized scoreboard.

Philip Greer graduated from Princeton University in 1957 and went on to earn an MBA degree from Harvard in 1960. He is a past member of the A.B. Freeman Business School Council and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Tulane University. His daughter, Elizabeth, graduated from Tulane University in 1998 with a BA in communications.

Greer is a founding partner of the New York investment firm Weiss, Peck & Greer, where he served as senior partner through 2001. He and his partners sold the firm in 1998 and Greer has since co-founded Opus Capital, a venture capital fund in the San Francisco Bay area. Greer has been a director of Federal Express Corporation since 1974 and is the chairman of its compensation committee. He also serves as president of the Greer Family Foundation and as trustee of the Santa Catalina School in Monterey, Calif., and Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Mass.

The Greer Family has been a very generous supporter of Tulane in recent years, particularly with athletics and general unrestricted university support. Their leadership gift helped to make possible Greer Field at Turchin Stadium, the home of Tulane baseball.

The stadium is named for Robert and Lillian Turchin of Miami, Fla., who spearheaded the drive to build the facility in 1990. Mr. Turchin is a member of the Intercollegiate Athletic Committee of Tulane's Board of Administrators and is an emeritus member of the Tulane Board of Administrators.

Turchin received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Tulane in 1943. He was a member of the football and track programs, along with his involvement as a member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and the Navy ROTC. While in New Orleans, he met Lillian Athey, a native of the Crescent City, and his future wife. Their marriage plans were temporarily interrupted by World War II when Bob spent two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. As a gunnery and fire-control officer, he took part in the Normandy invasion, and later served in the Pacific.

Following the war, the Turchins returned to Miami Beach, and Bob went to work for his father in hotel management. He later became involved in the construction of apartment units, and began his career as a general contractor.

In 1949, he incorporated Robert L. Turchin, Inc., and for the next 36 years, he ran the company as its president and director.

Turchin served as city councilman of Miami Beach from 1963-65 and vice-mayor of the city from 1965-67. He was also active in several civic and community organizations.

Since his graduation from Tulane, Turchin has continued to show extraordinary dedication to his alma mater, distinguishing himself as one of the University's most loyal supporters. He has served on the President's Council and the Dean's Advisory Council of the Business School, and he has acted as chairman of the Tulane Alumni Regional Fund. In 1983, Turchin was honored with the Business School's Distinguished Alumnus Award for his generosity and support.

Four years later, to honor the Turchins for their ongoing philanthropy, the new business library in Goldring/Woldenberg Hall was dedicated as the Lillian A. and Robert L. Turchin Library.

Turchin Stadium is on the north end of Tulane's campus. It is on Ben Weiner Drive, which is a one-way street going north.

From the East: Take I-10 west to the Claiborne Avenue exit (the only exit on the left, don't get caught in the right lane). Go down Claiborne about three miles and past seven traffic signals. Take a left on Calhoun, then a right on Willow. Ben Weiner Drive is the next immediate right.

From the West: Take I-10 East to the Carrollton Avenue exit (the second exit after the I-10/I-610 split). The exit will put you right on Carrollton, so go down about a mile until you reach Claiborne Avenue at a lighted intersection. Go through the intersection and make a u-turn back toward Claiborne and turn right on Claiborne. Go past the traffic light, which will be Broadway, and take a right on Audubon Blvd. (not Audubon Street). Take a left on Willow and go through the stop light. At the next light, turn left onto Ben Wiener Drive.

Tulane Facilities

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