June 28, 2026
Four Winds Field (Capacity: 5,000)
South Bend, IN
South Bend Cubs vs Quad Cities River Bandits
Final Score: 2 – 7
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Driving back home from vacation, we made a pit stop for a new ballpark and a baseball game. This wasn’t my first time in South Bend as I was here 15 years prior for Notre Dame football. The prestigious university is what many think of when they hear “South Bend”, but it is a fully functioning city even without the school. Located along the St. Joseph River in Northern Indiana, this is the state’s fourth-largest city with a population around 100,000. It is part of the Rust Belt and the closing of the Studebaker plant precipitated the manufacturing decline. However, recent revitalization and the nearby proximity of Notre Dame make South Bend a desirable place to visit. In terms of sports, it took until 1988 for the city to be a fixture on the Minor League Baseball scene. They started as White Sox affiliates, then went to Arizona and have been with the Cubs since 2015. It’s a great partnership given proximity, but a shame that the team nickname changed from the Silver Hawks (perfectly honoring the old Studebaker car). South Bend has taken home five Midwest League championships, with their last coming in 2022. Coveleski Stadium is an older park (1987) that led to many of the modern trends and traits seen in the ballpark boom that came in the 1990s. It has evolved tremendously and is an excellent example of how an older stadium can be modernized. With a corporate sponsor now for the name and the Cubs having an influence, this a great place to visit.
Prestige Ranking: 4 out of 5
Location
Four Winds Field is pretty close to downtown, just on the southwest edge. Sitting right across from Union Station, the immediate location isn’t all that appealing but getting better as there is a mix of low-rise business/industrial buildings and open lots that eventually get redeveloped. Some of that redevelopment has taken place and where it is most notable is beyond the outfield entrance. Towards the corner of this lot are brick buildings that frame a walkway and even are integrated into the ballpark, ala Wrigley. There’s a couple hangouts built within the buildings including Shamrock Sports Bar. Across the street is South Bend Brew Werks and then beyond that, it’s a 5-10 minute walk to reach the core of downtown and other bars/restaurants. South Bend overall is an odd mix of run down spots and pleasant redevelopment. In terms of sightseeing, before visiting Notre Dame, check out the Studebaker National Museum. They have a great collection of their vehicles that many didn’t realize was one of the big names back in the day. As for UND, it really is worth a visit. Campus is just a few miles northeast of the city and the famed sites include: the Main Building (Golden Dome), Basilica, Grotto and Hesburgh Library.
Location Ranking: 7 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
Parking takes a little effort as there are several small options around the ballpark and some will close as they become full. The largest lot is only available Friday – Sunday as it’s on the grounds of the former Studebaker facility, now home to a high school. That parking area is across the railroad tracks and far enough out to have a shuttle pickup. The team does make these fairly frequent and they do a great job of running golf carts to help those that need assistance from other lots. Otherwise, you can drive around to find one of these smaller parking lots, or utilize the helpful map on the Cubs’ website (link: https://www.milb.com/south-bend/ballpark/parking). We ended up grabbing one of a few spots left in Lot E (at the Brew Werks) after seeing the lot on South Street was closed off after filling up. Driving around South Bend is pretty easy and I-90 is the main highway nearby. That’s an east-west road, so if coming from the South (like Indianapolis), a mix of county and state roads are needed. From I-90, follow Route 23 to get in the area of Four Winds Field. Congestion was non-existent on this Sunday and it was pretty simple to get out of town after the game.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Exterior
There are two faces to the ballpark and the aforementioned pathway between the new outfield development is one of them. This entrance closer to downtown features an iron gate with the stadium name on top of it. Around here, you’ll see varied brick. On the other side towards the railroad tracks is the main structure and the original entrance before all the redevelopment. It isn’t that tall and features several juts and edges as it goes around home plate and the infield. The color is a rather drab brown with square brick-like tiles used. Also worth mentioning is there is a left-field corner entrance as well and that is by “The Event Center”, a multi-level club that includes the box office on the bottom floor. The brick here very much resembles the architecture seen on Notre Dame’s campus. This place just keeps evolving for the better.
Exterior Ranking: 5.5 out of 10
Concourse
The concourse is a 360 degree experience and the whole thing fits together wonderfully. It’s a well manicured layout from the outfield arrival, where arrows direct you to different ballpark sections along wide walkways. To the right, you’ll see a playground and splash pad, both close enough where parents can still keep an eye on the game. Tucked in next to the new Events Center / 11-11 Club is the team store and it’s quite unique as it is housed in the historic (1901) former B’nai Synagogue. Walk around picnic tables and another entry plaza and you’ll reach the traditional covered concourse around the infield. This is the older part of the park and it’s noticeable with floors that look like they are from a grade-school hallway to go along with white piping and ceilings above. It is on the tighter side for maneuverability, but there’s a ballpark view from here, TVs are playing the game and signage is good. Note that going down the stairs to the seating bowl features really tight aisles, enough where you may want to wait for people coming up or down. Getting past the infield concourse, you’ll reach the corner play zone that has inflatables and a massive Cub mascot welcoming the kids. The player development building past that has signs that batting cages are open during the game. Outfield walkways and bridges connect back to where you started.
Concourse Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Food
Indiana is known for Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches and it was good to see that on the menu here. Otherwise, there wasn’t anything too grand as the side carts and specialty stands were different takes on Burgers, Hot Dogs and BBQ. Wrigley-featured Kayem Hot Dogs were available and so were Chicago-style dogs. Alcoholic choices were plentiful, I just didn’t see much in the way of local products.
Food Ranking: 5 out of 8
Interior
The main seating bowl isn’t the best as the grade is low, leading to rows not that far above the field and eh sightlines. Sections extend past the infield, about a third of the way into the outfield and those seats face straight-ahead as opposed to turning towards the infield. The green seats are somewhat cramped, especially for tall folks. Up above the bowl is a club and suite level that is expansive. There are spots of shade provided from it, just not a lot. This upper level also improves ballpark aesthetics as there are a pair of nice “Four Winds Field” signs sitting on top and you can see further light brick elements. Rising above outside of the park is an industrial building along with Union Station. Peeks of trains going by as they blare the horn are little touches that elevate the experience. Improving the stadium is all that is beyond the original bowl. Most notable is the recent outfield building development, where the Cub influence is really seen as these places feature rooftop seating. Inside, there are no bare spots as things are filled with: a picnic garden, home run porch, lawn seating and group areas. Despite the age of the stadium and my usual dislike of following the parent team, constant improvements have made this place come together quite well. I’d score it higher if the main place where people sit was better.
Interior Ranking: 8.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
The right-field scoreboard is a widescreen and it looks pretty good, fitting in as well. During game presentation is well done, though I could do without the side advertisements. The banner arching above with stadium and team name is a good touch. Of course there are no replays (I feel like there never is at this level) and the entire is picture is only used for on-field promotions. To help fans sitting on the first base-side, there is a little scoreboard on the infield facade.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
Take note other MiLB teams, this is how you do it. We begin at the entrance where player pictures on pillars lead to a wonderful and informative statue of Stanley Coveleski, the ballpark’s original namesake. Walking around, you’ll see nods to prior Midwest League championship teams and if you head into the team store, the actual trophies are on display. They are quite large! Back in the outfield, nothing lies empty as fencing features circular signs with random facts and achievements by the team. The infield concourse isn’t short on displays as behind home plate there is a Wall of Fame with detailed plaques. Only thing missing are some pennants that I would want to be visible from the seats in the stadium.
Displays Ranking: 5.5 out of 6
Cost
Parking is expensive at $10 and I suppose that is not too surprising given that they are all city lots being used. Tickets on the other hand are not too bad ranging from $14 – $18 across the infield seating bowl and that’s near the lowest in the league by a few bucks. Concessions feature a $5.75 Hot Dog, $8.50 Cheeseburger and $9 16oz Beer.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8
Fan Support
The ballpark was half-full for this Sunday afternoon, which was a warm one, but not unbearable. The team ranked 4th in attendance last year and they get a fair amount of general “Cubs” interest in addition to those that are there for South Bend. Playoff attendance wasn’t great the last time they made it in 2022 as they had a two-game average of 2,575 (6th in the league).
Fan Support Ranking: 4.5 out of 8
Atmosphere
I loved hearing the frequent usage of the organ and while that likely is to maintain organizational consistency, it’s a refreshing change of pace. The fans here clapped uniformly for things that mattered. Nobody got on their feet or cheered super loud for runs, but it was a good atmosphere nonetheless.
Atmosphere Ranking: 8.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
You still may hear reference to the place as “The Cove” and that’s because it was originally named Stanley Coveleski Stadium. The man behind that is a former pitcher that settled in South Bend after retirement…..This was the first MiLB stadium to have luxury suites…..Recent renovations push the stated capacity to 10,500 and I can tell you there is No Way that this ballpark holds over 10k. Maybe they count each apartment as able to hold a few hundred people….The historic B’nai Synagogue built in 1901 sat unused for decades until the team owner bought it in 2012. He renovated it and turned it into the team store. There are plaques honoring the history and historical touches that remain in the building making it a pretty cool spot within the ballpark as opposed to what was previously becoming an eyesore.
Game
Much of this game featured limited offense as the 2-0 lead that South Bend took into the 9th inning came from a Kane Kepley home run and a wild pitch later on that brought in a run. On the mound, the Cubs gave up just two hits and it looked like we’d be heading home after just two hours of play. Then out of nowhere, Quad Cities exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 9th inning. Closer Ethan Bell imploded. He gave up 4 walks, 1 hit and made a terrible decision with the game tied at 2. A ground ball came to him and he threw to first base for the 2nd out instead of coming home to try and prevent the winning run from scoring. Terrible mistake that didn’t matter in the end as the River Bandits kept scoring. They left town with a 7-2 unexpected victory.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
