USM going all turf on their baseball field

[Duke Humphrey]

https://twitter.com/southernmissbsb/status/1218311241325797381?s=21

 

[was21]

Probably save money in the long run. They seem to usually do the best they can with resources they have. That's a compliment btw

 

[Choctaw Dawg]

Their fields were a mess the entire 2017 regional so its prolly for the best, of course it rained 5 inches the entire weekend

 

[patdog]

Yuck. Not a fan.

 

[RocketDawg]

Not a bad thing to do, especially for baseball. Real dirt on base paths would be better, but I suppose it would make the green turf look bad in no time.

 

[was21]

OTOH it IS plastic..just occurred to me. And from an environmental standpoint it sucks everything healthful out of the air.

 

[Cooterpoot]

It holds water so bad they're having to do it.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

It holds water so bad they're having to do it.

So, plastic turf helps with drainage? I recall a series at Candy (ETA: Vandy. 17 U Autocorrect) that begs to differ.

I don't claim to know a thing about field maintenance, drainage, or turf grass...but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.*

 

[skydawg1]

https://twitter.com/southernmissbsb/status/1218311241325797381?s=21

Nary a cup holder to be found in that pic. Maybe down on those dugout level seats? Can't tell.

 

[AlSwearengen]

Probably save money in the long run. They seem to usually do the best they can with resources they have. That's a compliment btw

This. Berry was going around town raising funds to do this two years ago and was telling people that it would save them money over time.

 

[Shamoan]

Another one bites the dust

 

[Todd4State]

They probably purchased it with the money that they gouged our fans with during our last baseball series there.

 

[The Situation]

They’ll eventually go back to grass, just like Ole Miss football.

A proper drainage system would drain the natural grass just as good as the fake ****, without the nastiness.

 

[SecretCroomMustacheLover2]

I absolutely hated playing ball on turf. Football and baseball always felt bad on the joints

 

[Charlie Varney]

Must be that new polyester turf.....

Evidently doesn't come in mustard color.

 

[Choctaw Dawg]

I absolutely hated playing ball on turf. Football and baseball always felt bad on the joints

Turf SUCKS. I played ball at Smith Wills a few times and there are other high school fields i would rather play at than that place. the worst part of turf they sometimes will turf the mound too and its hard to pitch off of.

 

[The Situation]

Turf SUCKS. I played ball at Smith Wills a few times and there are other high school fields i would rather play at than that place. the worst part of turf they sometimes will turf the mound too and its hard to pitch off of.

Agreed, you can’t rotate your cleat on your plant foot like you are supposed to. Even if the field is turf, the mound at minimum should be dirt.

 

[T-TownDawgg]

The Ghost of Nugget can stop screaming "Install automatic sprinklers"

 

[was21]

Artificial turf is environmentally harmful to birds

 

[wpmusm]

I prefer grass, but we were having to play so many doubleheaders due to drainage issues that it had to be done. It was cutting in to our gate revenue. Even couldn't finish a game against Gonzaga last season because there was a storm that rolled in and screwed up the field. We had a huge lead at the time but it didn't go 5 innings so it didn't count. That was probably the last straw for Berry.

The old french drains had not been updated since the early 90s, I believe.

 

[wpmusm]

Ever been to a game at the Superdome?

 

[jdbulldog]

Turf here in the south makes zero sense and is not necessarily cheaper in the long run. There is no excuse for not having beautiful grass if done the proper way. Well designed drainage and irrigation are key. It is an ongoing project that does cost money in terms of maintenance. Once established there is nothing better. Turf doesn’t last forever.

 

[Cooterpoot]

So, plastic turf helps with drainage? I recall a series at Candy (ETA: Vandy. 17 U Autocorrect) that begs to differ.

I don't claim to know a thing about field maintenance, drainage, or turf grass...but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.*

Umm, yes. You aren't playing in mud. That field has serious drainage issues. They installed new drainage etc and it didn't help. Much easier to maintain a playable surface with turf. They also don't have an indoor practice facility for when the field is too wet. Just push off the water and roll with turf.

 

[The Situation]

Turf here in the south makes zero sense and is not necessarily cheaper in the long run. There is no excuse for not having beautiful grass if done the proper way. Well designed drainage and irrigation are key. It is an ongoing project that does cost money in terms of maintenance. Once established there is nothing better. Turf doesn’t last forever.

Yep Vandy's looks like absolute ****. It's all gapped up where they have to replace the high traffic areas.

Full turf makes sense for Oregon or Northern schools. Not anybody in the South.

I can understand using turf for the grass (not basepaths) in Texas/New Mexico/Arizona too, where it's tough to grow grass.

 

[The Situation]

Not a bad thing to do, especially for baseball. Real dirt on base paths would be better, but I suppose it would make the green turf look bad in no time.

If you're going to do turf, this is the best way to do it. Dirt must be used in high traffic areas and on the mound. Who cares if you have to clean it once in a while, just brush it off.

 

[johnson86-1]

Turf here in the south makes zero sense and is not necessarily cheaper in the long run. There is no excuse for not having beautiful grass if done the proper way. Well designed drainage and irrigation are key. It is an ongoing project that does cost money in terms of maintenance. Once established there is nothing better. Turf doesn’t last forever.

It's about a wash in the south is what I was told. You have a massive expense to put it in, and then it saves some maintenance money overtime, and about the time you've finally saved enough money to recover from the upfront investment, you've got to replace it.

So you basically have to weigh the negatives of having people practicing on a surface that makes it about 5-10 degrees hotter on hot days versus the benefit of having it available for practice all day everyday, regardless of weather (assuming you are ok with players being out there in 105 degree temps with 95%+ humidity in August). I guess for schools where having turf allows them to turn their game day facility into their practice facility whereas otherwise they would have to maintain a separate practice field it makes a lot more sense.

 

[was21]

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