Petco Park to Host College Basketball Game on Outdoor Court

It’s usually all about baseball at Petco Park but this winter, the downtown stadium will try its hand at hosting a basketball game on an outdoor court to be built on the ballpark’s infield.

On Friday, it was announced that Petco Park will play host to the first college basketball game in the venue’s history on Dec. 5, 2015, at 2 p.m. as the men's San Diego State University Aztecs take on the University of San Diego Toreros.

Now, if you’re having a hard time visualizing a basketball game at the ballpark, here’s the game plan on the set-up:

Reps say the local college teams will compete on a special outdoor basketball court that will be situated length-wise between third base and home plate. Bleacher seating will be laid out on the field erected around the open sides of the court.

The seats will accommodate nearly 3,300 spectators, supplementing the existing options in the Petco Park seating areas.

Capacity for the winter basketball event is set at nearly 20,000, reps said.

“Petco Park has been a versatile facility that has taken on different shapes and sizes in recent years, from a tennis court to a Supercross course,” said Padres President and CEO Mike Dee in a press release issued Friday. “We look forward to hosting basketball activities and welcoming two local schools to play outdoors in the middle of downtown San Diego. We’d like to thank the leadership at both San Diego State and USD for working closely with us to make the vision for this game a reality.”

Both college teams said they’re looking forward to playing at the unique venue.

Tickets for the game will go on sale in June exclusively to Padres Members, Toreros Season Ticket Holders, SDSU men’s basketball 2015-16 full season ticket holders, Aztec Club members and Aztec football full season ticket holders.

Tickets for the general public will go on sale later this summer, ranging in price from $20 to $350. In the fall, $10 student tickets will be available for purchase.

A seating map for the game can be seen here. For more details on the sporting event, visit this website.