BALLFIELD DESIGN

[ Editor ’ s Note : The following is an excerpt from the Ballfield Design & Dimensions Guide , Fourth Edition , presented by Beacon Athletics and DuraEdge , and is reprinted by permission .]

No other portion of a ballfield construction or renovation project has more impact on the success of your facility than the finish grade and the resulting surface drainage pattern . Water percolates very slowly through native soil fields and on infield skin areas . Positive surface drainage is the fastest way to drain these areas . Only a sand-based field can meet or exceed the speed of water moving off a field by surface drainage . When properly designed and graded , positive surface drainage can speed availability of fields after a rain and make field prep a breeze .

FIND THE RIGHT CONTRACTOR Always hire an experienced and qualified sports field contractor who will use the correct equipment to get your expected results . Make sure they :

Have a portfolio of installations / renovations from the last two to three years of natural baseball / softball surfaces , and a list of references .

Work with conical and / or single / dual slope laser-guided grading equipment to achieve the appropriate grade .

Ensure proper and full incorporation of any material added .

Add or remove material as needed in order to meet specified grade .

Achieve finish grade tolerances of plus or minus ¼ ” or better , and allow confirmation before moving to next step . the best-draining sand-based fields — should have some slope to move water across the surface , especially after heavy rains . The following recommendations are applicable for fully skinned or grassed infields . Recommended slope will depend on whether a field is native soil or sand based , the level of play and the drainage pattern chosen .

GRADING AND DRAINAGE PATTERNS CONICAL DESIGN This is the “ Cadillac ” of surface grading / drainage for infields . With this design , water moves off the infield in the shortest travel distance possible . The conical design is performed using a cone laser set up on the mound and projecting a cone shape over the field to guide the grading . With the conical design , once water has entered the outfield , it must travel the entire depth to clear the field . To expedite this movement and allow more water to move , the slope is increased to 0.5 % steeper than the slope of the infield for native soil root zones . Sand-based fields may instead decrease outfield slope to 0.25 %.

FINISH GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS Grading new construction ballfields is usually easier because you are starting with a clean slate over the entire field . When renovating an existing field , the challenge greatly increases . You will likely have to merge with existing grades at some point . Never grade a ballfield so that it is perfectly flat . All fields — even

Conical slope recommendations :

0.5 %: Sand-based fields — professional level and high-end college ballfields

0.5 % - 1.0 %: Native soil fields — college , high school and recreational ballfields

40 SportsField Management | March 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com