Brent Brown Ballpark is the baseball stadium on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The Owlz are the Pioneer League ( Rookie Level)  affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The stadium is easy to find and was built in 2005. The cliffnote version on why the Owlz are on a college campus, the Owlz use to play at BYU's baseball stadium and was quickly told to leave due to the Pioneer League's schedule calling for games to be played on Sunday. With no place to go or help from the city, the Owlz got together with the UVU to build a ballpark. Oddly, I have heard this stadium called by three different names: Brent Brown Ballpark, Brent and Kim Brown Ballpark, and the "The Home of the Owlz".

Stadium Rating: C

I can say that I did not know what to expect from the stadium after paying for parking on my first visit. As with all the Utah ballparks I have visited so far, Brent Brown Ballpark features a great view of the mountains. The mountains you are viewing is Mount Timpanogos and the Wasatch Range. The most interesting thing about the stadium is the odd dimensions and height of the outfield walls. This makes any routine fly ball an adventure for the outfielders. The grandstand only goes half way down the 1st baseline and extends much further down the third base side. The concourse is on top of the grandstand and features everything that you would expect to see in a concourse. There is a berm that goes all the way down the third base line and goes across to mid center field. This stadium features a ton of foul territory on both sides which can lead to you feeling a little distant from the action depending on where you rest your fanny.


 The 2,500 box seats feature a lot of leg room which is always good and I only observed two oddly angled seating sections (Section 4 & 6 ) The scoreboard/video board is very nice and rivals some AA stadium scoreboards. The left-field corner features a kids' play area and a picnic area which are perfectly placed to still watch the action on the field. Gift store is nice. What the stadium lacked in character, it made up for it by providing a clean and comfortable stadium


For a small stadium, the stadium does features a lot of dead space and the stadium really could place some concession stands along the outfield berm to spread out the crowds. Another entrance or exit would be nice. This stadium featured the most staff members I have ever seen at a Minor League game and they were very accommodating. Baseball promotions for the most part were geared towards kids.


Baseball Atmosphere: B

The fans for the most part were there to watch  a baseball game. The only problem was the fact that I could barely hear the PA announcer and the in between inning announcer was even harder to hear. Sometimes the PA is my set of eyes. For a modern stadium, sound effects and music was almost non existent. I enjoyed the crowd making Owl sounds through the game.


Pricing: B

Anytime you charge $4.00 for parking you're going to get a C with me. However, the Owlz management realizes that taking cash out of my pocket for parking means I am not going to spend as much on drinks and souvenirs. How do they counter this ? By including a $2.00 discount coupon when I order $5.00 or more at the concession stand. Smart ! Owlz, it worked plenty of time I bought a 16 Ounce Dr Pepper in a souvenir cup along with a $3.00 hot dog for a total of $5.50 minus the coupon. If you like to imbibe on some adult beverages while watching games, this is not the stadium for you- they do not serve alcohol.  I always got a lawn ticket for $4.00 which is the cheapest I have ever paid to attend a minor league game! Programs were free for the whole season but never changed during the season making them useless after numerous visits.   Avoid food from the Owlz BBQ Perch. While the food options might sound great, the portions are very small and not worth the price. Gift store is a little bit overpriced. $15.00 for a team set ?
 
 
Autographing: D
 
Brent Brown Ballpark was not built for autographing. Both teams enter the field from under the grandstand from their locker rooms. Graphing the Owlz side of the field along the 3rd base line is cake once they exit their dugout and you have easy access to the Owlz bullpen. The visitors side of the field is a different story. Netting blocks your access on one side of the dugout and no one is allowed on the berm on the other side of the visitors dugout . You can jump the guard rail but an usher will ask you to remove yourself from the berm. The berm only gives you about 15 yards of graphing space and you have zero access to the visiting teams bullpen once they pass the berm.  Forget about graphing the team after the game unless you bring a flashlight. There is no lighting were the visiting team boards the bus from their locker room. Having Orem players signing before the game in the concourse is always nice.



I probably visited this stadium the least during my 17 months of living in Salt Lake City. It was hard to photograph and the drive from Salt Lake City to Provo was a pain. A very simple stadium other then Mount Timpanogos in the background. However, its differently worth experiencing if you have the time. The Owlz do a lot of things right by with what I imagine is a tough balancing act with your stadium being on a college campus.