Baseball Field Maintenance

                                                                                                          

      WESTHILLS   
   BASEBALL FIELDS

 
 
 
 
 "I can sit in a ballpark after a game and love looking at the field.
 Everybody's gone, and the ballpark is empty,
and I'll sit there. I sit there and think, 'Is this as close to
heaven as I'm going to get?'
Or, 'If I get to heaven, will there be baseball?" 

Kim Braatz-Voisard  /
Colorado Silver Bullets


Those of us who are fortunate enough to play at Westhills, play on some of the nicest youth baseball fields in the country. Unfortunately, on occasion, we see some of our own players or parents not taking proper care of our fields. Our fields are our most valuable assets. For those of you that are unaware of proper field maintenance techniques and field etiquette, here are some guidelines:

Field Maintenance

1. Team parents should prepare a list and assign parents to groom the field and bullpens after every game and practice. Schedule two people per practice or game.

2. The infields should be dragged, taking care not to drag the dirt into the bordering grass.

3. The base lines should be raked. If you drag the baselines there is nowhere for the excess dirt to go but into the grass. In time, this elevated dirt builds up and forms berms where the grass meets the dirt. These berms act as launching ramps for infield ground balls. Need we say more?

4. At the beginning of every season we start with brooms under the score booths. Use these brooms to push any infield dirt that has made its way into the edge of the grass back with the rest of the dirt.

5. Fill in and pound down any holes around the pitcher's mound or home plate. Use one of the "field temps"(massive weights on a stick), this is the job they are designed for. Do not bring any dirt from anywhere else to the pitcher's mound in either the infield or the bullpens or to home plate on the fields. The dirt we use in these areas is special dirt designed to compact and hold together. Please don't forget to groom the pitcher's mounds in the bullpens. 

Field Etiquette

1. Don't warm up or walk on the infield grass unnecessarily. 

2. Never throw batting practice from the infield grass without throwing from a mat. If you bring a screen out onto the field, remove it from the grass when you are finished.

3. Never walk or play on the infield when the field is soaked after a rain. Use common sense. If the dirt is muddy most likely the dirt under the grass will be soft enough to create an uneven surface when walked upon.

4. Never hit hard balls into the fences.

5. Always look after our fields and baseball complex. If you see someone abusing our facility ask him to stop or seek out someone that will. 


Thank you for your efforts.