FIELD OF THE YEAR SCHOOLS AND PARKS BASEBALL
MUZZY FIELD IS A HIGHLY maintained field because of the ballfield crew, and I am very lucky to have these people work for me. The number-one thing that you can’ t teach is taking pride in your work. Ever crew member wants this field to be perfect, and they go above and behind to do that. This award is a huge honor for the dedication to the field that they put in. I constantly tell them what a great job they do, and I’ m highly appreciative of them. Everyone that steps onto this field has a compliment to share about the field and how it is maintained. The field was awarded best playing surface for the last two years in a row by the New England Collegiate Baseball League. We have collegiate players from top universities around the nation who compliment us on the quality of the mound and playability of the field. The field gets booked from March to September, and there are only a few days in the season that are left open for rain dates. Because of all the play, it is a ton of work for one to two crew members to maintain.
One crew member flips the field for each game, and an extra crew member mows. We do our best to make it the highest level field that we can provide within our budget. Daily field prep consists of fixing and packing clay to mound and plate, raking baselines and all edges, blowing all edges, infield tining, dragging, rolling, brushing, marking lines, and painting outfield line twice per week. Additional duties include packing and fixing the bullpens, maintaining the stone dust track, and maintaining the batting cages. Spring prep includes laser grading, edging and more. During the season, edges get hose washed to keep an even transition from turf to skin. Because of the level to which the field is maintained, we rarely have a rain out. We also do all of the chemical applications on the turf; but, because of the health of the turf, we use only small amounts of pesticides. I identify and implement cultural techniques to manage pest problems, identify the source of any problem, take soil samples three times per year, determine other means available than pesticides, evaluate the control measures used, control amount of water put on the field, and maintain site records.
– Doug Trillo, CSFM, CPSI, CTTW, athletics and ballfield supervisor sportsfieldmanagementonline. com June 2026 | SportsField Management
11