FIELD OF THE YEAR PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
Level and category of submission: Professional Baseball Field manager: Nathan Strait Title: Manager of field operations Education: Bachelor’ s degree in Sports Administration
Experience: I have been with the Springfield Cardinals for 9 years, which is the entirety of my sports field management experience. Derek Edwards, director of field and stadium operations, has been with the Cardinals for 20 years. Before that, he assisted on the grounds crew for Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Missouri.
Full-time staff: Derek Edwards Original facility construction: 2004
Turfgrass: HGT bluegrass with some 365 SS mixed on the infield surface
Overseed: HGT on the outfield and collars, with 365 SS on the infield
Rootzone: Sand Drainage System: Perforated PVC pipe
SportsField Management( SFM): What are you most proud of with this win? Nathan Strait: We couldn’ t be prouder of winning this award. It is always great to see when the amount of work we put in pays off. We have an incredible field crew staff that we can rely on to go out and help us put together a great product day in and day out. Winning this award gave us a renewed appreciation for that work that we have put in. This is an award that we have been chasing for some time now, and we are happy to finally bring it home.
SFM: What were the biggest challenges and how did you approach them? Strait: One of the biggest challenges for us is always the amount of field usage. Not only do we have 69 Springfield Cardinals games every year, but we are also home to Missouri State University. With two teams, as well as high school games, we are always around 100 games on the field each year. Along with games, we have also stepped foot into the event business. This past year we hosted two concerts, a dinner on
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