The ballpark sits about a mile southeast of downtown Salem, part of the James E. Taliferro Sports and Entertainment Complex, sharing land with the Salem Civic Center and the Salem Football Stadium. The outfield opens onto a sweeping view of the Blue Ridge Mountains - one of the great minor league backdrops in the country. From a third-base seat at sunset, the ridge turns the color of old brass while the field below stays bright. Designed by Kinsey Shane and Associates and built by J.M. Turner and Company in precast concrete, the park seated 6,300 at opening. In 2009, new Boston Red Sox ownership reduced capacity to 4,968 by covering four general-admission sections with tarps - an effort, they said, to create a more intimate fan experience. Two of those tarps came off in 2010 when attendance pushed back, raising capacity to 5,503.

The franchise's identity has shifted with its parent clubs. As the Salem Avalanche, the team hosted the 2006 Carolina-California League All-Star Game in front of a crowd of 5,133. The Carolina League All-Stars beat the California League squad 6-3. Later, as the Salem Red Sox, the park hosted the 2017 Carolina League All-Star Classic, where Salem third baseman Michael Chavis took MVP honors with a two-run double in the first inning to seal a 2-0 North Division win. When the Boston Red Sox took over the affiliation, the team became the Salem Red Sox. The current incarnation is the Salem RidgeYaks - still a Carolina League affiliate of Boston, still playing the same long summer evenings against the mountains. The park has hosted three no-hitters: Luther Hackman in 1996, Scott Randall and Lariel Gonzalez combined in 1997, and Nathan Moreau of the Frederick Keys in 2010 - a 7-0 no-hitter against the home Red Sox.

In December 2001, Salem won the bid to host the 2003 and 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournaments, beating out the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina. The 2003 tournament drew 18,276 fans across the week; Georgia Tech beat NC State 6-5 in the final. The 2004 tournament drew 23,092, and Florida State buried Georgia Tech 17-5 in the championship. Roanoke College has used the field as a second home since 2002. The NCAA Division III Baseball Championship was originally scheduled here for five years starting in 1995 but moved to nearby Municipal Field when construction delays got in the way, then left for Wisconsin in 2000 due to attendance issues. The park's most consistent role has been a steady one: a working Carolina League home in a baseball-loving valley.

In May 1995, the Salem City Council unanimously voted to call the new park Salem Memorial Ballpark, honoring Salem's veterans. The name was suggested by then-mayor Jim Taliaferro - whose name also lives on in the surrounding sports complex. The American Legion donated $5,500 toward the memorial inside the stadium. Naming rights have changed hands since: Haley Toyota of Roanoke acquired them in 2017, and since 2021 the full name has been Carilion Clinic Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark, after the local healthcare network. Free parking sits all around the ballpark, accessible from U.S. 11, U.S. 460, Virginia 419, and Interstate 81. On any summer night in Salem, the lights come on, the mountains turn the color of dusk, and a minor league game runs its course in a ballpark a town built for itself.