BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL

Photo courtesy of Verde Design , Inc

By Mary Helen Sprecher

As a field manager , when you see athletes kicking around in the batting box and knocking the dirt off their cleats with the bat , you ’ re probably playing closer attention than anyone else . After all , that ’ s your infield mix they ’ re messing with .

But long before teams take the field to play ball , there ’ s a lot that goes into getting it ready . Care of the infield and turfgrass ( or turf ) areas are interrelated , and the field manager needs to work on both components to ensure the optimum performance of the whole facility .

Because the infield and its cousin , the warning track , don ’ t grow , however , it ’ s easy to overlook them or rate them second , since they don ’ t require the preseason work grass does . But by following some good practices , it ’ s possible to have your skinned areas shine too .

Preseason generally means raking off dry material ( along with any debris that might have collected over the offseason ) and discarding it . New infield mix , which is recommended to be ordered in advance , should be added and leveled .

“ Grading is , of course , very important ,” said Michael Munie with Perfect Play Fields & Links in Belleville , Ill .

The field should be sloped in accordance with the rules of the appropriate governing body , whether this is NFHS , NCAA or another organization . The type of field ( for example a native soil field , a sand-cap field , etc .) will also factor into the equation .

For baseball , the high point of the field generally is the pitcher ’ s mound . This is 10 inches above home plate on a regulation field with 90-foot bases . The field is then sloped in all four directions away from the mound and across the skinned areas . Typically , softball fields will be crowned in a line from home plate through the pitching rubber to second base and on through the outfield . Remember that even a slightly low area can cause ponding of water on the surface . Therefore , it is recommended that finish grading be accomplished with laser-guided equipment .

“ How often you do regular maintenance depends mainly on how often a field is used ,” said Todd Smith , Ph . D ., PE , LEED AP of R & R Engineers-Surveyors , Inc . “ Work that should be undertaken on a regular basis can include raking of the entire area , rebuilding the pitcher ’ s mound , rebuilding

36 SportsField Management | March 2023 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com