The facility takes its name, Centennial Field, from the fact that the land on which it was built was dedicated to its current purpose on July 6, 1904, at the conclusion of the three-day celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first graduating class of the University of Vermont (UVM).

[2] Future-Boston Red Sox pitcher Ray Collins started the game for Vermont and threw the first pitch at the ballpark.

Gardner and Collins are among 11 former Catamounts to reach the major leagues, the latest being Matt Duffy, who played for UVM during 2008–2009 and for the Houston Astros during 2015–2016.

Vermont hosted the long-running Smith Barney Men's Soccer Classic at Centennial Field that featured many national powers including UCLA, Stanford, Old Dominion, San Francisco, New Mexico and North Carolina.

That season, Vermont featured Little All-American halfback Bobby Mitchell and UMass had future NFL quarterback Greg Landry.

The field's large foul territory comes from the running track that at one time circled the park, including the area where the grandstand currently stands.

[5] In 2007, it was recognized by ESPN.com's Jim Caple as one of the top 10 ballpark destinations in the U.S.[6] It is also featured in the 2008 book 101 Baseball Places To See Before You Strike Out by Josh Pahigian.

[7] Centennial Field showed its age and was in need of repair in 2010 to meet minor league baseball ballpark standards.

In the announcement Athletics vice president and general manager Billy Beane was quoted as saying, "The baseball history and community support in Burlington makes it a very special place.

[13][14] Corran said at the time that he expected that the university would continue to maintain the baseball field before Bramley stepped in by leasing it to the Lake Monsters for 20 years starting in 2012.

The UVM baseball team played its last home game of the 2009 season at Centennial Field on May 12, 2009, when they hosted Bryant University in a midweek non-conference doubleheader.

In addition to the Lake Monsters, the Vermont Principals' Association's four state championship games returned to Centennial Field in 2012 after a two-year absence.

[citation needed] In the playoffs, Burlington beat first-place St. Jean in the first round but lost the championship to the Quebec Braves, four games to one.

Barry Larkin, Jeff Montgomery, Rob Dibble, Kal Daniels, Chris Sabo, and Norm Charlton all starred in Burlington and became the core of the 1990 World Champion Cincinnati Reds.

Future major league star shortstop Omar Vizquel spent the bulk of the 1988 season with the Mariners hitting .254 with 30 stolen bases, before he was called up to Triple A in early August, prior to Griffey becoming active.

The team changed its name to the Lake Monsters in 2006, one year after the big league parent franchise Montreal Expos moved to Washington and became the Nationals.

Since the franchise moved to Vermont in 1994, 68 former Expos/Lake Monsters have reached the major leagues (as of July 2015) including future standouts Addison Russell, Orlando Cabrera, Jamey Carroll, Milton Bradley, Jorge Julio, Jason Bay, Ian Desmond, Jordan Zimmermann, Tommy Milone, and Danny Espinosa.

[citation needed] The summer collegiate Northern League (baseball, 1934–1952) Burlington Cardinals played at Centennial Field from 1935 to 1941 and from 1946 to 1952.

In 2005, the Vermont Expos invited Podres back to Centennial Field to throw out the first pitch in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers World Series championship.

It reads, Named to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the University of Vermont's first graduating class, Centennial Field has been the home of UVM athletics since 1906.

Among the outstanding players who have graced Centennial's diamond are Larry Gardner, Ray Collins, Tris Speaker, Jesse Hubbard, Robin Roberts, Kirk McCaskill, Barry Larkin, and Ken Griffey, Jr.[24]