"As each member of the home team passesthrough the gate, a tremendous sense of prideis felt. Players chatter. Bats crack. Fans

applaud a well-executed play. The smell of freshlymowed turf mixes with the aroma of popcorn. Crispwhite chalk lines contrast with the dark browninfield while a dense carpet of green in the outfieldinvites players to tread upon it. Fly balls are caught;runs are scored. The game is won (or lost) and theopponents make their way to the waiting bus, but notwithout complimenting the coach on an outstandingplaying surface and theexcellent Redbird SoftballComplex facility. This is atypical day of play for IllinoisState University's Lady

, Redbird Softball team andtheir coach, Melinda Fischer." grounds,

This opening paragraph(penned by Darcy Loy, ISUgrounds gardener) capturesthe excitement generated bySTMA's 1999 College SoftballField of the-Year. IllinoisState University is inNormal, Ill., in the centralpart of the state: Serving agrowing student body, nowaround 20,000, has broughtnearly constant change to the850-acre urban campus.Planned construction of anew parking structure and anew College of Businessbuilding at the center of cam-pus forced the demolition ofthe existing soil-based softball field and facility. Thenew softball complex was added to the West campusarea already home to football, baseball, soccer andtrack facilities.

by Bob Tracinski

laboratory high school and the new softball field. Our foot-ball game field is artificial turf; the practice field is realgrass. All other game fields double as practice fields.

"I develop all the grounds maintenance programs.Denny Deterding handles the day-to-day maintenance ofthe athletic fields and interacts with the coaches. He'll getassistance from other staff members for such projects astopdressing or spraying. Our athletic department hasattendants that do the field layout and dragging and thechalking or painting of the fields. Our department willprovide assistance with the application of calcined clay."

The softball field is used fromMarch through the beginningof October, primarily for ISUNCAA Division I softball games

suoenntenoent of and the practices of the LadyRedbird team. The ISU AthleticDepartment handles all scheduling.Non-softball activities are notallowed on the field.

Maintenance MattersMike O'Grady, superintendent of grounds, has been

with the University for 23 years. His staff of 19 maintains350 acres, including 70 acres of parking lots, 23 miles ofsidewalks and everything on the exterior of the buildings,from signage to turf and flower beds. They also handlesnow removal and garbage pickup.

O'Grady says, "We have 9 1/2 acres of athletic fieldsthat we strive to maintain at a professional level: football,baseball, soccer, track, the soccer field of the university's

8 June 2000

Under ConstructionO'Grady was given full authority towork with the university architectto design the new softball field. Hesays, "I had a vision of what 1wanted the field to be and whatlong-term maintenance issues Iwanted to minimize through fieldconstruction. I also tapped a lot ofresources, including Dr. Henry(Hank) Wilkerson of the Universityof Illinois and Dr. Dave Minner ofIowa State University.

"One interesting design chal-lenge was posed by the creek

that wraps around the back of the softball complex. Wedesigned the field 10 feet shorter than planned, ending upwith alleys of 190 feet and a centerfield of 210 feet, toaccommodate the rules and regulations of the proximity ofstructures to the creek and still comply with NCAA stan-dards. Our Athletic Director at that time had wanted ahome run ballpark and it does add excitement for the fans.

"Because the parking lot across the creek producedwindshield glare for late afternoon games, we movedmature mock orange shrubs from another campus con-struction site and replanted them across the creek fromthe outfield fence. This also provides a solid back-ground for the batter's eye to pick up the ball andgauge speed and timing."

O'Grady, Wilkerson and Minner decided on a 10-inch

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straight sand outfield profile, using USGA sand specifications.The skinned infield is composed of a mix of 80 percent clayand 20 percent sand with calcined clay incorporated into thesurface layers. An additional 6 tons of calcined clay are incor-porated into the skinned area each spring. The entire fieldwas constructed with a 1/2 percent slope from behind thecatcher's position all the way out to the end of center field forsurface drainage. O'Grady says, "In previous fields and on ourbaseball field we tried to contain runoff in the tarped clay areabut, when the tarp was pulled and dumped, it created a largeamount of water on the turf. The 1/2-inch total field slopeeliminated this."

After the field subgrade was exposed, the contractortrenched in 6-inch wide and 12-inch deep trenches on 10-footcenters in the outfield, arch-ing in a half moon patternfrom first to third base. Amain trunk drainage lineruns down the center of thefield. Advantage Drainageby ADS, 12 inches high by 1inch wide, was then placedin the trenches and beddedin pea gravel all the way tothe surface. A shallow levelof pea gravel was placedover the subsoil.

O'Grady says, "Thestraight sand profile wasselected from a local con-tractor. They made adjust-ments in the mix to meetour specs and checked it fora percolation rate of 32inches of rain per hour. Thesand was premixed at thegravel pit and trucked toour site. But when wepulled samples to check thespecs on the first deliveredload, it didn't pass. The con-tractor's crew had pulledmaterial from the wrongpile. The contractor took itback and brought the cor-rect mix, but it definitelyreinforced our conviction to -test and retest throughoutthe construction project."

Irrigation IssuesThe Rainbird EXP-LXTirrigation system usesHunter 1-40 part- and full-circle heads in seven sepa-rate zones within the turfareas. Turf irrigationtakes place on a dailybasis at a rate of 1-1/2-inches of water per week.That rate is increasedduring the playing sea-son in accordance withevapotranspiration rates.

10 June 2000

A rain sensor control automatically shuts down the irri-gation system if rainfall over 1/4 inch takes place.

O'Grady says, "We installed a high-speed rotation irri-gation system utilizing Hunter 1-42 nozzles for the clayinfield. It took a little tweaking for locations, spacing andtiming. These irrigation heads run all along the perimeterof the clay right at the edge of the turf. One head wasplaced in the center of the clay in a small valve box thatsits right behind the pitchers rubber. When the system isturned on, the water pressure forces the cover off and thehead pops up to irrigate. The crew replaces the cover andtamps down the infield clay around it when the cycle iscompleted. This system speeds the irrigation segment ofskinned area preparation and allows us to implement dust

control for games. We can flipon the infield irrigation for 2or 3 minutes between doubleheaders. It also eliminatedthe need for an on-field quickconnect and those occasionalemergencies when a coach orplayer spun off the entire cou-pler and created a gusher."

Redbird SoftballCe>mplex . Mai,~t~"ance Program

June 8:

June 14:

July 5:

August 6:

Sept. 6:

Nov. 15:

Nov. 16:

5: Apply8:41~4 fertilizer at rate , .5pounds per1,000 squ~refoot. Apply Primo'Growth Regulator.Core aerate with 3/4 inch tines' 'ragcores into field.

Apply Fungicide (Heritage). ApApply 8-4:~~ fertilizer at rate ofper 1,000 square foot.

Apply 8-4-~4 fertilizer at rate1,000 squ&e foot.

Apply.8-4·24 fertilizer at rate of1.'p.pounds per 1,000square fopt.'tApply Fungicide, (SPTElremec)Apply Primo Growth RegulatorSpray v.: ... g track for broadl

ntrol (Merit)

Apply fu icide (Heritage). Apply Primo Growth RegulatorApply 8·4·24 fertilizer at ratesquare foe!.

Core aerate with3/4-inch tines; leavecoresbh:fiover winter.

Sod StoryO'Grady consulted withDr. Wilkerson to identifya source of suitable sand-based Kentucky bluegrasssod produced within thesame climate zone. Theyworked with Huber RanchSod Nursery of Schneider,Ind., to select a 9-month oldsod composed of four blue-grass varieties. Wilkersonadvised use of the youngersod over similar older plotsto speed on-site adaptationafter installation.

"The landscape contrac-tor we hired had neverinstalled large roll sod ona sand-based field beforeand was concerned aboutthe ruts he might make inthe sand," reports O'Grady."He wanted to use a craneplaced on the infield clayto install the big roll sod.I agreed as long as hewould absorb the extracosts and successfully com-plete the project within ourtime frame. We were con-cerned about heat buildupin the sod rolls so we want-ed to insure all of the cutsod would be installedwithin 24 hours of beingcut. The sod was unloadedand strategically placed onthe infield clay. The samemachine used behind a tractor

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As O'Grady had predicted, after all the pre-planning, attention to detail during construction,

and the aggressive maintenance program following construction,

the field was in great shape and ready for use.

Left: Steve Guise, past president of STMA,presents the 1999 College Softball Field of the

Year Award to Illinois State University'sSuperintendent of Grounds,

Mike O'Grady, (center) and Denny Deterding. F I V EGREAT REASONS WHYYOU SHOULD CONSIDERBULL'S EYE BermudaFOR YOUR NEXTPROJECT.

Precision lighting keeps the light on thefield and away from nearby residents.

• Virtually No Seedheads• Good Shade Tolerance•. Deep Blue-Green Color• Medium- Wide Blade For

Texture Contrast• Can Be Mowed With

Rotary or Reel

BULL'S EYEBermuda

WEST COAST~'JyTURFThe softball field is used from March

tnrouan October, for ISU NCAA Division Isoftball games and the practices of

the Lady Redbird team. GROWERS AND lNSTALLERS OFPREMIUM QUALlTY SOD AND STOLONS

www.westcoastturf.com 760/360,5464 800/447,1840 FAX: 760/360,5616

Circle 105 on Inquiry Card

June 2000 11sports TURF • http://www.sporsturfonline.com

Circle 106 on Inquiry Card.

The softball field is used from March through October,for ISU NCAA Division I softball games and the

practices of the Lady Redbird team.

12 June 2000Circle 107 on Inquiry Card

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'" t '>

Daily Infield Maintenance

Pre-practice and Pre-Garr-e: Pre-game or In-game:Drag skinned area with nail board and drag mat. Touch up Apply calcined clay to wet or heavy wear areas.turf edges with hand rake. Irrigate lightly.

Between Doubleheaders: Post Game:Mat drag infield skin and baselines. Irr-igate lightly. Mat drag infield skin and baselines.

'>'

for big roll installation was placed onthe crane which then swung it into theproper place in the outfield. One crewmember used a lead rope, moving back-ward in front of the roll to guide it intoplace. Two other crew members usedrakes to make sure the sod was tightand straight. The contractor laid 5,000yards of sod in less than 24 hours usingthis method. Though it was effective,the contractor admitted that the costswere so high he probably won't use themethod again. With the sod in placeand the turf mowed twice a week witha reel mower to a height of 11/4 inches,the field drains at the rate of 2 1/2 inch-es of rainfall per hour."

Let there be lightLighting was another challenge.O'Grady says, "The softball field is onlydivided from a residential area by a 40-foot wide street, so we needed to takegreat care to keep from invading peo-ple's privacy. Musco installed a TLCsystem with a 70/50 foot candle ratiothat focuses the light to exact locationson the field with no spill over. It effec-tively stops the reflective light of ourfield at the curb line."

Field construction was completed inAugust of 1998 with the softball team'sfall practice sessions coming just 5weeks after the sod installation. AsO'Grady had predicted, after all thepre-planning, attention to detail duringconstruction, and the aggressive main-tenance program following construc-tion, the field was in great shape andready for use .•

Bob Tracinski is the businesscommunications manager for theJohn Deere Worldwide Commercial& Consumer Equipment Divisionheadquartered in Raleigh, N C. Heserves as public relations co-chairfor the national Sports TurfManagers Association.

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Circle 108 on Inquiry Card June 2000 13