www.sportsturfonline.com22 SportsTurf | May 2013

W E ALL WANTTHE YOUTHON OURSPORTS

FIELDS to reach their fullestpotential. And we all want toget the most out of what weput into maintaining our ball-parks. So, we need safe andplayable ball fields. Safe andplayable baseball fields meanfirm footing and true, consis-tent ball bounces.

But there is a constantSTRUGGLE we have to dealwith in youth sports: the timeand money constraints coupledwith perhaps not knowingwhere to start or what to do.You can, however, create a ballfield you can be proud of andperhaps be a hero to your com-munity too.

The solution for a betterfield for better play is to:

• Evaluate your ballpark

• Create an action plan tofollow

• Keep your ballpark in tiptop shape

I am going to use three casestudies to show how you cancreate a better baseball experi-ence by focusing on a few les-sons learned. I’ll summarize

these lessons into the 7 best tipsfor maintaining youth baseballand softball fields.

DETERMINE WHATIMPROVEMENTSARE NEEDED

Use the 81 Point Checklistfor Evaluating Your Ball Park

(see sidebar). This checklistcovers all areas of your ball parkand lets you objectively identifyproblem areas. You can thenprioritize your improvements.

For many people this assess-ment checklist is also an excel-lent tool to educate andcommunicate issues to boardmembers or administrationstaff who are part of thebudget decisions. That wayyou and your leaders make aninformed decision about thesafety and playability for youryoung athletes. It’s not just

The 7 best youth baseball field maintenance tips

FieldScience | By Jim Reiner

Infield Dirt Playing Surface: infield dirt, base pathsand sliding areas, the mound, home plate, batter boxes,infield lips, and the warning track.

Infield Turf Playing Surface: bare spots, sprinklers,grass edges, density and quality, irrigation, thatch, un-even surfaces, ruts, other vegetation besides grass.

General Playing Surface: condition of maintenanceequipment, sprinkler boxes, drainage, unsafe debris,history of accidents, alterations, field to specs.

Bases and Anchoring: base ground stake, concretefooting, bases, home plate, pitcher rubber, don’t forgetthe bullpens.

Fencing: posts, footings, caps, rails, gaps, bottom offencing, gates, protrusions, backstop, outfield fences.

Spectator Areas: seating area, guard railing, walkingsurfaces, steps, gaps in seating, nuts & bolts protruding,other hazards sticking out.

General Safety: foul lines, chalking, signage, con-struction areas, concessions, parking, protective equip-ment.

Dugouts: fencing, benches, equipment, waste con-tainers, player area.

Lighting: lighting system, bulbs, utility poles.

Ball Park Assessment Checklist

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your pushing an agenda that decisionmakers don’t understand or appreciate.

Go through the checklist as you thinkabout your ball park. Better yet, walk yourfield and really see what you have. Makenotes about each topic. This checklist is acondensed version, but you can use it as aguide. For example, do your base paths looklike a gully washed through with the sideshigher than the middle? Write it down.This is a safety issue. Do you have a baseanchor sticking up at third base? Write itdown.

When we look at the Little League com-plex in our case studies, the assessmentshows us that:

• The 4 ball fields are overused and over-run

• There are inconsistent maintenancepractices by all field users

• There are a variety of drainage andpuddle problems

The high school assessment indicates:• Under maintained turf and infield dirt• Drainage and water coverage problems,

and• Inconsistent practices year round, espe-

cially summer and fallAnd the assessment for the college ball

field at a Park and Rec facility shows:• Weak turf with lip buildup• Infield dirt that is either powder or

hard as rock• Inconsistent/poor maintenance prac-

tices by the usersIn each of these situations, there are spe-

cific improvements to make. These rangefrom using better equipment, to addingmore dirt, to improving the turf, to beingconsistent with field maintenance practices.

You may already work hard on yourfields; but sometimes working hard is notgood enough. You have to be smart, too.

If you are like me you don’t have an un-limited amount of time and money tospend on your sports field maintenance andupgrades. So, how do we identify and prior-itize our improvement efforts? What shouldwe spend time and money on? And how dowe know the projects we pick to work onreally keep our sports field safe and playablefor our players?

The answer is the assessment checklist.

I help manage the fields at a local LittleLeague complex. There are five ball fields forages 6 to adult. Each spring and fall I use thechecklist to help identify new and ongoingneeds. From that I put together a budgetproposal for the board. That way they see ex-actly what I suggest and why. It makes thework visible and gets their support.

Now let’s look at some specifics from theassessments.

THE BEST THING FOR IMPROVED DIRT MAINTENANCE

Build and regularly use a nail drag. Goslow in varying patterns and stay away fromthe grass edge. This will turn a dry, hard in-

26 SportsTurf | May 2013 www.sportsturfonline.com

FieldScience

field into a reasonable playing surface. Naildrags can be home made from three 2x4sand two boxes of 16d nails. Pre-drill holesfor the nails will make it go easier with allthe pounding you’ll do.

The first time you use a nail drag, play-ers and parents will think you added newdirt to the field. It will play just that muchbetter. And if you can water down the fielda bit first, the nail drag won’t kick up dustand it softens up the dirt for you.

Nails do eventually wear down. Buteven when they get pretty short the naildrag can still scarify the surface and the 2x4can even help level the dirt as it goes.

THE BEST THING FORIMPROVING TURF HEALTH

Periodically core aerate. After core aerat-ing, drag the turf with a screen drag tobreak up the cores and smooth out the turfsubsurface. This way you get and maintainlevel turf for ball bounces.

I also like to add in frequent but lightfertilizing and overseeding. I have foundthat fertilizing the turf every 4 weeks atabout half the recommended rate providesmore consistent growth and color and ismuch easier for mowing. I mow the infieldstwice a week, Tuesday and Friday. Out-fields are mowed on Thursdays.

Ideally you want to get at least 10 holesper square foot for the aerating to be effec-tive. Therefore, it probably will take twopasses of the aerator to do this.

THE BEST EFFICIENCYIMPROVEMENT FOR A LARGECOMPLEX

Use stubs for batter box corners, provideaccess to shared equipment, and really focuson not getting any dirt on the grass edges.These short stubs can be 6 inch pieces ofrope or surveyor markers.

Here’s what you do to speed up makingbatter boxes game after game:

1. Mark the corners of the batter box.2. Dig a hole down about 5 inches

down. Narrow is better.3. Insert a piece of stiff nylon rope about

6 inches long.

Ideally you want to get at least 10 holes per squarefoot for the aerating to be effective. Therefore, itprobably will take two passes of the aerator to do this

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4. Fill in the hole around the rope andpack or tamp it down.

Now the 1-inch stub sticking upmarks the corners. You can rake and dragover them usually no problem. Then justchalk or paint as needed. No more hassleswith a template.

Some softball fields use pink rope anddon’t even chalk or paint the actual batterbox outline. They just use the pink stubsas a visual for the box. These rope stubsusually will last the spring season, but dowear down over time. If you have prob-lems with them coming out, you can alsoanchor them down with a large washerand a knot or with a large nail. But I tryto avoid doing that.

BEST TIP FOR HIGH SCHOOLSoak dirt before game time, manage

the edge for a flat transition, and mowoften.

A hand pulled broom drag helps keepthe dirt off the corners. These are lightweight and wide. And they are simplerthan getting out the riding tractor and ascreen drag. Using a plastic fan rake helpsremove dirt from the grass edges. Varia-tions for turf edge management includeblowing the dirt off or vacuuming it upalso. For many youth fields, the plasticrake is quick and easy.

BEST SUGGESTION FOR COLLEGE AND ABOVE

Use mound clay, laser grade the infield,and manage the field for player safety.

At the higher levels of competitions,firm footing and true bounces is a mustfor safety. Players will start and stopquickly. Ideally the field conditions shouldbe consistent throughout a nine inninggame. Therefore, you must use qualitymaterials and techniques.

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT FIELDMAINTENANCE TOOL OF ALL

Water. A proper amount of water justmakes everything better. Moisture man-agement of the infield skin as well as theturf is just about the best thing you can dofor your players.

We all have ideas what a good playingsurface is like. But ask the players. Seri-ously. Ask them if they prefer dry andloose versus moist and firm. My experi-ence is that most prefer even a hard surfacerather than one that blows out from underthem. Water is the answer. It can makejust about any dirt mix so much moreplayable.

We can create a better baseball experi-ence for our players, coaches, and fans.These lessons-learned and basic practicescan do that for you. I believe sports pro-grams can help our youth develop lifelonghabits for success. And I sure don’t wanttheir dream to slip away due to a poorsports field. And I want to help men andwomen like you transform their sportsfields into a field of dreams where ouryouth reach their fullest potential and youhave no regrets.

For the past 11 years I have refined myprevious AAA baseball field maintenanceskills by spending time with MLB andAAA groundskeepers, with sports turfmanagers, and with suppliers of fieldproducts for professional sports. Duringthat period I also renovated 49 baseballand softball fields and had the privilege ofconsulting on hundreds of other new con-struction and renovation projects. n

Jim Reiner is the field director for theSunrise Little League in Orangevale, CAand assist with field maintenance at ValleyChristian Academy in Roseville, CA.