In 1946 a young Jackie Robinson, bright eyed and bushy tailed, looked to make his first professional start at Stanford stadium. As he ran on to the field, the crowd full of ole Johnny Reb rained down boos that drowned out the noise of the traffic outside of Stanford stadium, in the historic district of Stanford Florida. Robinson was encouraged by his teammates to ignore the crowds antics as they showered him with names and empty beer cans, but the Stanford police chief threatened to cancel the game if young Jackie took the field.

The ball park build in 1926 was torn down and rebuilt in the same location in 1951, Historic Stanford Memorial Field is the 20th oldest baseball stadium in the country and still in action today.

Historic Stanford Memorial Field(HSMF) is home to The Orlando baseball Association, the Babe Ruth baseball League, and the Stanford River Rats of the Florida Collegiate baseball league.

The Stanford River Rats have won the FCSL an astounding five times, including in the inaugural 2004 season. The Stanford River Rats have also had several players go on to the MLB, players including Kyle Bird, Jabari Blash, Stephen Cardullo, Carlos Cortes.

Other notable player in the FCSL include, Jacob Degram, Kerry Carpenter, Dee Gordon, and Justin- Henry Malloy.

The Stanford River Rats are also known for their devoted fans,  specifically the fan club known as the “Rowdy Rats”. The fan group has been attending games since 2015, and rarely miss a game, when asked they they come, Jake Uttich, co-founding member said, “I don’t know man, I just love coming out, watching baseball and talking trash. There isn’t much out there like it.”