BASEBALL
The history of Raymond J. Cipperly Field
By Bradley S. Park
Photo courtesy of Bradley S. Park
Positioned between New York City and Philadelphia, Middlesex County New Jersey is proud of its nickname: The Greatest County in the Land. Middlesex County has a Magnet School system in which its premier baseball field was deemed the Greatest Field in the Land on two occasions by the Sports Field Management Association( SFMA), having twice won the Schools and Parks Baseball Field of the Year award. Raymond J. Cipperly Field, East Brunswick, New Jersey, has a rich past filled with well-deserved accolades. It also has a history of well-documented efforts to control annual bluegrass( Poa annua L.).
FIELD HISTORY AND NAMESAKE The flagship natural turfgrass baseball field in the county’ s Magnet School System, the former Tiger Field was re-dedicated as Raymond J. Cipperly Field in May 2016 following the untimely passing of Raymond“ Ray” Cipperly in October 2015. Cipperly began teaching physical education at East Brunswick Magnet School( formerly East Brunswick Vo-Tech) in the early 1970s, and became the school’ s base- ball coach in 1975. Cipperly stepped down as coach in 1996 to become athletic director for Middlesex County Magnet Schools( formerly Middlesex County Vocational Technical Schools)( Tufaro, 2016).
An article from mycentraljersey. com noted that Cipperly attended a World Series game in the 1950s at Yankee Stadium, and that this visit fueled his passion for the game of baseball, as well as his interest in the particulars of baseball diamonds. He was inspired to design, build and oversee substantial upgrades to the field that was re-named in his honor( Tufaro, 2016). A plaque on the third baseline dugout reads,“ The Field that Ray Built.”
Further illustrating his work ethic and skill set, Cipperly also served as head groundskeeper for the Trenton Thunder and subsequently the Somerset Patriots in Bridgewater, New Jersey( now the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees). Cipperly’ s abilities in the area of baseball skin surface management and his communication skills were quickly recognized by Dr. Henry Indyk, longtime Extension specialist at Rutgers University, and 1994 recipient of the
22 SportsField Management | May 2026 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com