FIELD OF THE YEAR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY BASEBALL
Level and category of submission: College and University Baseball
Field manager: Jordan Billingsley
Title: Assistant Sports Turf Manager
Education: Bachelor’ s degree in Agronomy with emphasis on golf and sports turfgrass management
Original facility construction: 2009
Turfgrass: Celebration bermuda
Overseed: Ewing Empro perennial rye blend( 34.82 % Aspire perennial rye, 34.37 % Hancock perennial rye, 29.13 % Zoom 2 perennial rye, 0.24 % other crop seeds, 1.44 % inert matter)
Rootzone: Sand
Soil Amendments: Carbon Pro G
Drainage: Underdrainage network / vertical drainage system – perforated pipes wrapped in cloth in gravel-filled trenches
We also face some dirt runoff challenges if we get a heavy rain. We have to scoop it back into place, nail drag the dirt and roll it with a huge roller.
SportsField Management( SFM): Congratulations on the Field of the Year win. What are you most proud of with this win? Jordan Billingsley: I am most proud of getting to see the whole thing come together, from start to finish. We came up with a game plan, trusted it and adjusted as necessary when needed. Getting to see the field progress throughout the year, keeping the playability at a high standard, and seeing it handle everything makes me the most happy.
SFM: What were the biggest challenges you have faced with the winning field, and how have you approached those challenges? Billingsley: The biggest challenge that were faced, hands down, was the amount of play we get on the field daily. We had some form of play on the field just about every day of the year. From LSU games to practices, individual workouts, camps and tournaments, something was happening every day, and we had to constantly adjust our game plan and maintenance to ensure we were still able to produce a high-quality playing surface. If we had something pop up at the last minute that wasn’ t on our schedule, then we had to get creative to find time to get out there when we had a window of opportunity. We
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