Momentum Bank Ballpark

Momentum Bank Ballpark opened in 2002 in Midland, Texas, providing the Midland RockHounds with a modern venue in the heart of the Permian Basin oil patch. The 5,000-seat stadium, originally known as Citibank Ballpark and later Scharbauer Sports Complex, was built to serve a small but passionate baseball community in a city whose economic fortunes are tied directly to the price of crude oil. Midland, along with its sister city Odessa, forms the population center of the Permian Basin, and the ballpark reflects both the modesty and the ambition of a community that punches above its weight in civic investment.

The ballpark's design is straightforward and well-suited to the West Texas environment. The main grandstand provides covered seating behind home plate, with open areas extending down the lines and into the outfield. The flat Permian Basin landscape stretches in every direction beyond the outfield walls, and the famous West Texas sunsets — vivid displays of orange, pink, and purple that the flat horizon amplifies — provide a natural show during evening games. The dry heat of the Permian Basin makes evening baseball comfortable despite the daytime extremes, and the lack of humidity means that the ballpark rarely deals with the weather delays common in more temperate regions.

The RockHounds serve as the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics (and previously the A's under various structures), and the franchise has been a consistent source of talent for the Oakland organization. The RockHounds name references the geological hobby popular in the mineral-rich Permian Basin region, connecting the franchise to the earth that has defined Midland's economy and identity. The ballpark has hosted future Major League contributors who cut their teeth in the unique playing conditions of West Texas — the altitude, the dry air, and the wind create a hitting environment that challenges pitchers and rewards power.

Momentum Bank Ballpark's compact size and intimate atmosphere reflect the character of the Midland market. In a city of approximately 150,000 people, the ballpark does not need to be large — it needs to be good, and it delivers on that promise with well-maintained facilities, creative promotions, and the warmth of a small-market franchise that knows its community personally.