If you have ever watched a Boston Red Sox game or experienced Fenway Park in person, then you know the “Green Monster.” It is a popular nickname for the 37-foot-2-inch left field wall dating back to the days of Babe Ruth.

Recently, Guilford College’s baseball field has been remodeled, according to PE Center Manager Mike Merkel.

“The wall creates a lot of character to McBane Field,” said Merkel.

McBane Field was named after Edgar McBane ‘14, described as an athlete, orator and one of the most popular members of Guilford’s 1914 student body.

“They made it a ‘mini-monster’ if you will, sort of like the Red Sox,” said Merkel.

Though adding “character” to McBane Field, the new wall resolved a number of issues that accompanied the old chain-linked fence. Merkel noted that the chain-linked fence, which constantly created an unsafe environment for players in the right field alley after heavy rains, needed repairs.

Additionally, the sharp ends of the old chain-link fence links were starting to stick out at the bottom of the fence.

“Coach Nick Black sat down and came up with the idea of the wood wall, rather than another chain-linked fence,” said Merkel. “Coach found some donors and (raised) the money to purchase the materials.”

They were lucky to have funds left over after an infield makeover.

“We got a nice gift at the end of last year,” said Coach Black. “We used that money to redo the infield, which hasn’t been done in almost 30 years.

“We had some left over … so we decided to go ahead and do the wall.”

During the process, Guilford’s maintenance department, along with players and coaches, helped assemble the innovative baseball barrier.

“It felt like we were constructing Noah’s ark,” said senior outfielder John Macon Smith. “The construction crew really did a good job.

“The fact that we helped build it gives us more reason to defend our home field.”

Players believe that home runs will come at a minimum since right field was pushed back a couple of feet, and the left field wall has been raised higher.

“I think it will be beneficial to our pitching staff,” said sophomore infielder Charles Noble.

“The ball will still fly pretty good if it’s hit square,” said Smith. “But I would be willing to bet that there will be more doubles and triples and less home runs at McBane this year.”

Even though the wall was an in-house job, Black said that it ended up costing around $35,000. The majority of that amount was donor-driven.

“I was thankful that we had the wall built,” said Smith. “It is an awesome addition to Guilford’s baseball facility.”

Some students would disagree with Smith’s statement as they feel Guilford should raise money for other renovations.

“The library always needs more books,” said first-year Colin Macintosh.

Another student sided with the decision to build a new outfield wall.

“I think the funds could have been divided up somewhere else,” said junior Brandon Rothfuss. “But I know we definitely needed a new baseball wall.”

Guilford has set the tone for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference with their inventive wall.

“Nobody in our conference has a wall like that,” said Black. “It’s more of a college-type ball park. I love it.”