Let's start this new area out with a poll of sorts. If you could have your choice, would you go with grass or dirt infield?
If you go with the grass, do you have dirt baselines from home to first and from third to home?
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bermuda grass infield w/ same for base paths. Dirt circles around the bases, mound and home plate only. If definately makes for easier maintenance.
Bulldog are you saying by dirt IF you mean the skinned ones like softball uses? If so then I say NEVER to those. I had to play on one in high school back in the early 90's and we worked like dogs on it if it rained.
I think it's harder to keep a smooth crown on it because of erosion and if you do the whole ditch to drain puddles it just messes up the field.
Grass all the way. I love the look of a great field with dirt basepaths but it's a lot easier to maintain if you make those grass as well. I can't go with you j2 on the whole grass IF except for the circles around the bags, mound and plate. Looks too much like astroturf to me. I bet it would be easier to maintain though.
I think it's harder to keep a smooth crown on it because of erosion and if you do the whole ditch to drain puddles it just messes up the field.
Grass all the way. I love the look of a great field with dirt basepaths but it's a lot easier to maintain if you make those grass as well. I can't go with you j2 on the whole grass IF except for the circles around the bags, mound and plate. Looks too much like astroturf to me. I bet it would be easier to maintain though.
We currently have a grass infield with the dirt basepaths. One school near us who has the full dirt infield nearly never has a rainout. They've got a full infield tarp so they can cover the dirt and leave it there. With a grass infield, you wouldn't be able to just leave it there.
Our school is going to building new fields in the next couple years. The JV field will likely be full dirt, but the varsity field is still up in the air. They've talked about not setting up water with the new fields so our coach has said he plans to go with a full dirt infield until he's given water.
Our current field is doing away with the dirt basepaths. Our coach has decided that they are too much work!
Our school is going to building new fields in the next couple years. The JV field will likely be full dirt, but the varsity field is still up in the air. They've talked about not setting up water with the new fields so our coach has said he plans to go with a full dirt infield until he's given water.
Our current field is doing away with the dirt basepaths. Our coach has decided that they are too much work!
The new wave here in northern virgnia is now they're starting to build "synthetic turf" fields, similar to like what Louisville has or Cincinnati but UC uses dirt around the bases, mound and home plate, which I prefer while Louisville is all turf, even the base paths. This wave is in full effect regarding the football fields in our area and now it's moving toward the baseball fields. Even though the cost is expensive up front, the amount of money they'll save in the future on maintenance is apparently very significant.
As a baseball purist I hate dirt infields. We see them in tournament travel. I went to the source, the players. They say the dirt infields properly groomed provide a truer bounce than most grass fields. Then again, my son the commie likes playing on turf due to the true bounce and how fast he runs on turf (ran a 6.8 sixty on turf as a high school freshman).
The first time he stoled second on turf he slide ten feet past the bag. He was nearly ejected for coming into the second baseman so hard. He wiped out the fielder and kept on going. The ump did ask if he had played on turf before before deciding not to toss him.
The first time he stoled second on turf he slide ten feet past the bag. He was nearly ejected for coming into the second baseman so hard. He wiped out the fielder and kept on going. The ump did ask if he had played on turf before before deciding not to toss him.
Dirt infields are for beer leagues, rec ball, and travel fields that have to change base bath dimensions. They are horrible to play on, don't do it!
quote:Originally posted by Bulldog 19:
We currently have a grass infield with the dirt basepaths. One school near us who has the full dirt infield nearly never has a rainout. They've got a full infield tarp so they can cover the dirt and leave it there. With a grass infield, you wouldn't be able to just leave it there.
Our school is going to building new fields in the next couple years. The JV field will likely be full dirt, but the varsity field is still up in the air. They've talked about not setting up water with the new fields so our coach has said he plans to go with a full dirt infield until he's given water.
Our current field is doing away with the dirt basepaths. Our coach has decided that they are too much work!
All dirt for a high school field? Don’t do it!
But if the coach does not want to deal with taking a tarp on or off and does not want to deal with the maintenance you should look at a all turf field, obviously it will be much more expensive up front...
quote:All dirt for a high school field? Don’t do it!
Would you prefer all dirt intentionally or dead grass for an infield that might as well be dirt? Like I said, the only reason he'd go with an all-dirt infield is because of the lack of water.
And yeah.. I don't think we'll EVER see Field Turf on our baseball field. Heck, I don't know if we'll get it for the football field. It makes too much sense... if they put Field Turf on the football field, they'll also use it for s****r (instead of building a separate s****r field for games), the baseball and softball teams can practice there in the spring, and PE could use it! And it would be two less fields that would need water constantly!!
Its interesting to look at the posts but pay close attention to where the poster’s from. I was born and raised in the Ohio Valley but have lived 30 Yrs in Ca, so I know what its like to try to do baseball in both climates. Believe me, 90% of the Ca/Az folks don’t have a clue about what its like to have to deal with real weather, and therefore they often get “snooty” about the facilites.
Personally, I’m a grass IF guy myself, but would have no problem what-so-ever if faced with a dirt IF, as long as both teams had to play on it. The secret to any nice field is a preventive maintenance program, proper equipment, and forcing anyone who uses it to take care of it or they lose the privilege of its use.
Personally, I’m a grass IF guy myself, but would have no problem what-so-ever if faced with a dirt IF, as long as both teams had to play on it. The secret to any nice field is a preventive maintenance program, proper equipment, and forcing anyone who uses it to take care of it or they lose the privilege of its use.
Update.. my dad was telling me yesterday the school has apparently been approached by a company who is wanting to put the Field Turf on not only the football/s****r field, but also on the baseball field for a significant discout to showcase their item. The new school is still a year away so many things could change between now and then 