Early in the 1979 baseball season, a Wichita State fan could sit on the outfield hill (known as "Pikers Peek") for free and watch stars such as Joe Carter and Phil Stephenson.
With Oklahoma State coming to town for a doubleheader, then-athletic director Ted Bredehoft decided to erect a fence and charge $1. He encouraged fans to bring "chairs, blankets and picnic goodies."
If that was the first official recognition of the outfield hill as an essential part of the experience, things boomed from there. The grassy hill, now known as Coleman Hill, became synonymous with Shocker baseball and the place in the stadium for grills, coolers, catching home runs and heckling opposing outfielders.