RISING STAR

When it comes to sports field management , Jake Mays was “ born into it .”

As the only child of two high school head coaches , Mays was always around sports . He played football , baseball and golf in high school and spent time working on his parents ’ fields — maintaining the baseball field and painting the football field in the fall . He even switched from playing football to playing golf so he could spend more time working on the football field .

“ I definitely had a more direct path than most ,” said Mays . “ When I was in high school , I knew turfgrass management was the thing , and Virginia Tech was the goal , so I continued to do as much as I could .”

Mays , who now serves as director of grounds at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta , achieved his goal of attending , and earning his degree from , Virginia Tech .

Said Mays , “ I had three internships — two in college and one post college . I did a summer with the Boston Red Sox , a summer with the Washington Nationals , and then , after graduation , a season-long internship at the Seahawks practice facility in Seattle .”

From there , Mays got a job at The Lovett School , but the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a move back home to Fredericksburg , Virginia . Mays was contemplating leaving the sports field management industry altogether when the Fredericksburg Nationals moved to a new stadium in his hometown . He took a job with the team and was able to spend a season in Minor League Baseball , helping get the new facility up and running . “ I met a girl , moved to Raleigh , and spent about eight months with Nolan Thomas and Company out of Oxford , North Carolina , doing field construction all over sportsfieldmanagementonline . com October 2024 | SportsField Management

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