Alpine Cowboys Prepare for Their 20th Season at Historic Kokernot Field in 2027
When the Alpine Cowboys take the field for the 2027 season, they will celebrate their 20th year playing at historic Kokernot Field in Alpine, Texas. Few independent baseball teams in America can claim a home with the history, character, and tradition found at Kokernot Field.Located beneath the mountains of West Texas in the heart of the Big Bend region, Kokernot Field has long been considered one of the most unique baseball parks in the country. Texas Monthly once called it "the Yankee Stadium of Texas," an appropriate description for a ballpark that has become one of Alpine's most recognizable landmarks.
Kokernot Field was constructed in 1947 by Big Bend rancher Herbert Lee Kokernot Jr. as the home of his semi-professional baseball team. Kokernot did not build an ordinary small-town baseball park. He created a stadium intended to represent Alpine and the Big Bend region.
Native stone quarried from the Kokernot Ranch was used to construct the grandstand and outfield wall. Red clay for the infield was transported by boxcar all the way from Georgia. Throughout the stadium, the Kokernot Ranch's famous "06" brand was incorporated into the design. Intricate ironwork featuring baseballs, complete with painted stitching, added details rarely seen in a baseball stadium of its era.
The original stadium was constructed to accommodate approximately 1,400 spectators, and lights were installed in 1958, allowing baseball to continue under the West Texas night sky.
Kokernot Field soon became much more than a local baseball park. Some remarkable names in baseball history passed through Alpine. Future Major Leaguers Norm Cash and Gaylord Perry played at Kokernot Field before becoming stars at baseball's highest level.
One of the most memorable events in the stadium's history came in 1951, when an estimated 6,000 spectators packed the grounds for an exhibition involving legendary pitcher Satchel Paige and the St. Louis Browns against the Chicago White Sox. The enormous crowd demonstrated just how important baseball had become to Alpine and the surrounding Big Bend communities.
Semi-professional baseball eventually ended in Alpine following the 1961 season. Ownership of Kokernot Field was transferred to the Alpine Independent School District in 1968 after Sul Ross discontinued its baseball program. Sul Ross State revived baseball in 1983, beginning another chapter in the stadium's history.
Over the decades, Kokernot Field has hosted Alpine High School, Sul Ross State University and multiple generations of Cowboys baseball. The stadium has been home to numerous championship teams, including more than 10 Cowboys regional and league championship clubs, along with Alpine High School and Sul Ross State conference champions.
Professional independent baseball returned to prominence at Kokernot Field with the Big Bend Cowboys of the Continental Baseball League. In 2010, the Big Bend Cowboys defeated the Las Cruces Vaqueros for the Continental Baseball League championship. It proved to be especially historic because it was the final championship game in the history of the Continental Baseball League.
The Cowboys then became part of the Pecos League era in Alpine.
The Alpine Cowboys won the 2012 Pecos League Championship, adding another championship to Kokernot Field's long baseball history. Two years later, Alpine hosted the 2014 Pecos League Championship, again placing Kokernot Field at the center of postseason baseball.
The 2014 season also brought a noticeable change to the historic stadium. For decades, advertising banners had not been permitted on Kokernot Field's famous walls. That year, the Alpine Cowboys were finally allowed to sell wall-sign sponsorships, creating an important new revenue opportunity while introducing a modern element to the historic ballpark.
Despite the changes that have occurred around baseball, Kokernot Field has retained much of what makes it special. The native stone, distinctive ironwork, "06" ranch branding and West Texas setting give the stadium an appearance and atmosphere unlike virtually any other ballpark.
That tradition will continue in 2027, when the Alpine Cowboys begin their 20th season at Kokernot Field.
For the Cowboys, Kokernot Field is more than simply the place where home games are played. Generations of players have entered the same gates, taken the same field and competed in front of Alpine baseball fans. Championships have been won there, future Major Leaguers have played there, and some of the most memorable moments in West Texas baseball history have taken place within its stone walls.
From Satchel Paige and the huge crowd of 1951 to the championship Cowboys teams and today's Pecos League players, every generation has added another chapter.
As the Alpine Cowboys prepare for their 20th year at Kokernot Field in 2027, they will continue a baseball tradition that began nearly 80 years ago.
The teams have changed. The leagues have changed. The generations have changed. But Kokernot Field remains — and the tradition of baseball in Alpine continues.
