GROUNDS MANAGEMENT
According to Reimnitz , the SSC team features 21 crew members handling just the grounds , and another 80 handling custodial services throughout campus . For grounds management , SSC has a landscaping crew , athletic crew and mowing crew on site . For the athletic fields and facilities , SSC manages the natural grass soccer , softball , baseball and intramural fields , as well as the synthetic turf football field , track and field surface , and hard-court tennis facility .
MURRAY STATE ATHLETIC SURFACES The Murray State softball field , Racer Field , sits on what used to be the football practice field . To help the turf , the field was core and shatter tine aerated four times throughout the summer to give the 419 bermudagrass base the best chance to form a dense turf for the playing season . When the field is overseeded , the entire field is seeded with a higher rate because of its small size . This helps with wear , and gives a uniform appearance from the stands .
According to SSC , Racer Field drains well – sometimes too well . This leads to localized dry spots on the field that have to be treated differently . Wetting agents are applied to the field to help hold water in the rootzone , and different retention agents are applied to the localized dry spots that remain . The SSC team also uses organic fertilizer and other carbon and biochar products to help increase the moisture-holding capacity of the soil .
Cutchen Field is home to the Racers soccer team . Preseason meetings with the coach led to a goal of a tightly cut , firm , and fast field for Murray State ’ s extremely fast soccer team . The field is used for games and practice and sees an enormous amount of wear . According to SSC , the amount of water dictates the aerification , fertilization and irrigation programs . The field is mown with a reel mower at 0.5 inches for most of the year . Combinations of different growth regulators are applied every other week to keep the field as tight as possible and reduce clippings . All clippings are recycled into the canopy to increase organic matter in the rootzone and reduce reliance on fertilizers .
Soccer games are free for the public to attend , and fans can just find a seat on the surrounding hill to watch . To keep the surrounding turf as healthy as possible , this hill is aerated multiple times a year and receives a similar cultural program as the field . This provides a quick recovery after spectator use . The surrounds of the fields are mown using electric zero-turns , and electric handheld equipment is used for detailing . sportsfieldmanagementonline . com June 2023 | SportsField Management
35