This past Monday morning, I packed up my suitcase, laptop bag, snacks, and a few waters and headed north towards the Southern New Jersey area for work (ArcBest). I have driven the route to NJ through the Eastern Shore of VA, DE, and MD for nearly 30 years now and know the route very well. Over the past few years, I have gone either Route 13 the whole trip or a combination of Route 13, 113, and 1 with equal joy and success. This trip north on Monday, I took the Route 13 path so I could make a pit stop in Princess Anne, Maryland and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks are an NCAA Division I baseball team that play in the Northeast Conference or NEC. I am familiar with the Hawks because they have played teams I have frequently covered over the years, like Bryant University, Stonehill, and New Haven and more recently, Norfolk State University. UMES’ 2026 record was 9-39, 8-25 in the NEC. The Hawks play their home games at Hawk Stadium right there on the campus of UMES in Princess Anne, MD.
It was a beautiful, sunny Monday when I arrived on the UM Eastern Shore campus. I found parking in a huge lot just behind the baseball field. There were some landscapers and construction workers attending to the grounds and the field, and an open situation for the baseball field. I was able to walk up to and into the bleachers behind home plate as well as walk the perimeter of the field on the third base side. The gates to the field were locked, no problem there were plenty of great places to take photos of the field. Like these…
As I was walking out of the baseball area, I noticed a large athletic sign on a large brick building. The William P. Hytche Center, from what I read online, is a large, multi-use facility that student athletes use for basketball, volleyball, and other student activities. It has been in use since 2000.
And in the parking lot, a row of Maryland Eastern Shore athletic buses and vans. The HBCU next to the school name refers to Historically Black College and University designation that UM Eastern Shore has. The van had an awesome look with the hawk’s wings spread out over the sides of the vehicle.
As it was just a pit stop and I had several more hours of travel to go, I took one last look at Hawk Stadium and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus and then hopped in my rental car. I loved that Hawk Stadium was open to the public so I could get some really great views of the field, the scoreboard area, the outfield fences, and more. The field was in beautiful shape, the grounds clean, the campus looked amazing. First time there and I was super impressed with the whole campus vibe. Overall, it was a fantastic Princess Anne (MD) baseball experience visiting the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Hawk Stadium, home of the UMES Hawks.
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