Vidinha Stadium
Lihue, HI
Review by Mike
Vidinha Stadium on the island of Kauai in Hawaii was once home to the Kauai Emeralds of the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League. Many notable major leaguers played here during the league’s somewhat brief tenure, the most famous of which was a youngster named Ichiro Suzuki, who wowed the locals with his talents before returning to Japan at the beginning of his professional career.
The Emeralds only played a few seasons at this modest, but well-kept ballpark, and since then the field has been the home of local high school baseball and community baseball. The stadium is in a sports complex that includes a football stadium and some soccer fields, just beyond the southern end of the runway at Lihue Airport. There are views of distant mountains and palm trees to remind you of the tropical locale.
The stadium itself is simple, with two main grandstands, one down each baseline and a few small grandstands farther along towards the foul poles. A press box strands directly behind home plate and field level dugouts are found at the ends of the larger stands. There aren’t any facilities that I noticed, but it has been a long time since they played pro ball here, so perhaps there was more back in the 90s.
When I dropped by, the local high school team was warming up, getting ready for a pre-season workout. My thanks to the coach, Spencer, for letting my look around and to the other coaches for their friendly conversation. This is a simple, functional ballpark, but it is nicely maintained and the field is in excellent condition. Being on the lovely island of Kauai and boasting a little bit of history doesn’t hurt either.
--
2025
273
--
