Photo Credit: Courtesy of Stantec, Boston, Massachusetts
Long before the first kids take the field, long before the first parent shows up with a folding chair, and certainly long before the umpire yells “Play ball!,” baseball and softball facility managers should be several innings into their own game plan--getting the fields ready for a new season of batters, pitchers, catchers, fielders, shortstops and more.
Depending on the location, fields may see heavy use year-round, or they may host daily play for several months, then in winter have no use at all. But whenever the weather is good and the game is on, the fields are expected to be ready. Whether they can depends on how much time is put into them.
“Ball-field playability is directly related to the level of personal care and commitment of the infield area,” says Mark Wrona of URS Corporation in Grand Rapids, Mich. “Keeping a safe, firm, playable surface through heavy use and varying weather conditions is the fundamental ball-field maintenance challenge.”
