Plainsman Park has recently received a renovation of their playing field. The field now has updated turf grass in the space around home plate and between the field and dugouts.
The renovation has been in the budget for over a decade. Before the updates, the field surface had not been refurbished since 2004.
Precision Turf, a field company out of Atlanta completed the renovation in about 45 days. Head groundskeeper Zach Willard said the turf on the field is one of the newest models of synthetic turf made by FieldTurf.
“It’s state of the art,” Willard said. “It is the best artificial turf product we could buy.”
Contrary to popular belief, the turf will still need routine work such as sweeping and cleaning of
“The turf really is to keep us looking sharp," said Butch Thompson, Auburn's men's basketball head coach. "The grass wear becomes a lot for the grounds crew to keep up with."
The new turf will be able to better withstand the heavy foot traffic that occurs in the areas of the field where it has been installed. The grass will be able to maintain its pristine look much longer than the natural grass, according to Willard.
“It will provide some longevity on maintenance. It will last a long time and look really good for a long time,” Willard said.
Because of Plainsman Park’s dual purpose as a playing field and a practice facility for the team, there was never an opportune time for the renovation to take place. The team practiced at many different locations around campus, including the old track, softball and intramural fields.
Thompson said Plainsman Park has a great location and the frame of a great park, but the turf will help upgrade the aesthetic to keep up with other college baseball fields.
“We have a beautiful, timeless
Thompson repeatedly stated the benefits that could blossom from having an updated field on the
“I can look at recruits and say ‘you are going to play on one of the nicest playing surfaces in college baseball,' and mean it,” Thompson said.
Thompson said his goal with the project is to make the playing field the nicest the players have ever played on.
Plainsman Park is joining other collegiate baseball parks that have recently upgraded to the
In the two years since Thompson has been at Auburn, there have been other upgrades made to Plainsman Park. New lights and seating have been installed at the field, which Thompson said were all routine maintenance repairs.
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