FIELD OF THE YEAR SCHOOLS AND PARKS BASEBALL
We have a very special program that helps to maintain Sea King Field . I started a turf program in 2021 and we have one class period dedicated to turf management . We call the students in the class the “ CDM Turf Kings .” It is truly special that the students are learning how to maintain the baseball fields here at CDM . After safety training and being taught how to use the machines , the students are the ones helping to maintain the facility .
We have a very limited budget , and I believe we are making the most out of it . We use all the resources available to help maintain the two baseball fields on campus . Our annual budget dedicated to field maintenance is $ 15,000 . Our major projects include overseeding the fields every November . The process for our facility includes dethatching , seeding , topdressing and fertilizing . We stay off the fields for two months and start striping the fields in January . We do a minor summer rehab on our worn spots . We also must pay for paint , clay , conditioner and gas ; deal with breakdowns ; and service all our machines .
We are extremely lucky that our local golf course superintendent is supportive of our turf program . He does everything in his power to help us keep our costs down . He sends his mechanic to do our regular maintenance and helps us when we have breakdowns . We would not be able to function at the level we do without this partnership .
What makes Sea King Field so special is the fact that the students are the ones coming up with the ideas on how we should stripe the grass , paint the logos , and design the mound and home plate . I am a superstitious person and when we get to league play , we only change the mow pattern when we lose a series . We were lucky this past year and did not lose a league series . We used the landing strip mow pattern and then made minor adjustments as the class didn ’ t want to use the same pattern all year long . The students research and show me pictures of patterns they want to mow . Then we come up with a plan on how to make it happen .
— Kevin McCaffrey , head baseball coach sportsfieldmanagementonline . com March 2025 | SportsField Management
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