The Arkansas State University baseball program recently announced a generous donation from the Slayton Family Foundation, established by former Houston Tiger athlete Joe Slayton.
In recognition of this contribution, the A-State baseball field has now been named Slayton Family Field, honoring the family’s commitment to the development of the program. Arkansas State University will dedicate Slayton Family Field this Saturday (March 15) with a pregame ceremony, including the first pitch, during its series against Marshall inside Tomlinson Stadium.
“On behalf of our entire baseball team, I want to express how grateful we are to the Slayton Family Foundation for their tremendous support,” said A-State head baseball coach Mike Silva. “This allows us to fulfill a critical need for a new turf surface that will elevate our program in numerous ways, and we are proud that our players will now be representing Arkansas State University on Slayton Family Field.”
Slayton Family Field is the first artificial playing surface in the history of Tomlinson Stadium, with field dimensions extending 325 feet in left and right field while center field sits 385 feet away from home plate. In addition, two bullpens were built at the foul poles in left and right field, and the scoreboard was replaced with a state-of-the-art videoboard ahead of the 2025 campaign.
The Slayton Family Foundation is dedicated to enhancing sports and education in the community, reflecting founder Joe Slayton’s commitment to fostering athletic excellence and academic achievement. Slayton, who moved to Houston at the age of 13, was an all-conference tight end and punter at Houston High School, where he also lettered in golf, basketball, baseball and track.
Slayton was a football letterman at A-State from 1976-79 and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity member. He was twice named All-Southland Conference as a player, tabbed the starting punter on Arkansas State’s All-Centennial Football Team that was announced in 2014 and inducted into the A-State Athletics Hall of Honor in 2021.
