Fields of Excellence Winners
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The ball diamonds at Purdue University have both been recognized for their well-maintained, all-natural playing surfaces, with baseball's Alexander Field and softball's Bittinger Stadium officially becoming Fields of Excellence.
Pioneer Athletics' Fields of Excellence award program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them. It was established in 1997 and has honored over 800 athletic fields from around the country.
Purdue soccer's Folk Field is a six-time honoree, entering the exclusive Fields of Excellence Club in 2017 after being recognized for the fifth straight year. While Folk Field was again deserving of recognition for its pristine condition in 2019, the Purdue sports turf staff opted to share the wealth and submit nominations for soccer's neighboring fields.
Alexander Field is one of only four baseball stadiums in the Big Ten Conference to still feature a full natural grass playing surface. The Boilermakers played their earliest home opener ever in 2019, hosting Milwaukee on March 12. Softball opened its home season at Bittinger 10 days later on March 22.
The Purdue sports turf staff is quick to recognize the contributions of students enrolled in the turf science program. Their assistance is invaluable in maintaining all of the university's outdoor fields. Most groundskeepers will tell you they prefer not to be noticed. A large amount of their work is done early in the morning, and on many gamedays, after sunset. But they also earn their keep during traditional daytime hours – adding moisture and getting the lips right on the infield. Steve Vonderheide (Alexander) and Ryder Haulk (Bittinger) served as the leaders of the grounds crews of the university's ball diamonds in 2019.
In some ways, the playing surface at Bittinger Stadium is even more difficult to maintain because of the traditional full dirt infield coupled with smaller areas of foul territory. Those small areas of grass on the infield side of foul territory routinely get heavy traffic and wear. The DuraEdge Pro surface for the infield was put to the test in 2019 as softball opted to hold its pregame batting practice on the field for the first time, a practice that will continue this season.
"A huge congratulations goes out to our field crew for being recognized with the Fields of Excellence Award," head softball coach Boo De Oliveira said. "They are the best in the business and their hard work helps make Bittinger Stadium the best playing surface in the country. They put so much attention to detail into our field. They truly are the team behind the team and we are grateful for them."
Barenburg's HGT Bluegrass was installed as the new playing surface at Alexander after the 2019 campaign. Regardless of the type of grass, getting the frost out and unfreezing the playing surface is always a challenge for the Purdue sports turf staff early in the year. The Boilermakers were able to practice at Alexander on Feb. 26 in 2019 and as early as Jan. 13 this semester.
The use of a skin tarp on the infield dirt has been a crucial addition to Alexander in recent years. It allows the infield grass to get the sunlight and moisture it needs, maintaining the photosynthesis while keeping the same amount of moisture out of the dirt. This prevents the freeze layer from not getting as deep. New this season is the use of an Air2G2 aerifier machine with the grass. It is intended to help limit the wear on high-traffic areas like the front of the mound, the back of the lip of the middle infield and position areas in the outfield.
"The opportunity to play on an all-natural surface is something we are very thankful for," head baseball coach Greg Goff said. "The grass and dirt are so well maintained. That makes a big difference for our infielders and really all of our players. Our grounds crew has done a tremendous job since Alexander opened in the fall of 2012 and in the last three years since I've been here they've taken it to another level. The quality of the playing surface coupled with the cosmetic upgrades our administration has made continues to demonstrate the commitment to baseball and our program."
But more than just the Boilermakers and their collegiate rivals play at Alexander and Bittinger. There are routinely half a dozen high school games played there in the spring. Both programs also host numerous camps in the summer and fall.
The IHSAA state finals return to Bittinger in June for the third consecutive season, expanding to a two-day event this year after four games were played in one day the last two years. Meanwhile, the Lafayette Aviators of the Prospect League are scheduled to play at Alexander this summer as Loeb Stadium in Lafayette undergoes a complete reconstruction. The Purdue sports turf staff will be busy with a summer league schedule that features 30 home games in 61 days.
Purdue's legacy as a turf and agriculture university is an important part of its history as a land-grant institution. Vonderheide and Haulk stress that it takes a great deal of teamwork among full-time and student staff to maintain the top-notch playing surfaces found at the northwestern edge of campus. The student-athletes have contributed as well. Numerous Boilermakers have been part of the sports turf staff during the summer months, including current baseball players Milo Beam, Trevor Cheaney, Ben Nisle and Trent Johnson.
Pioneer is the nation's leading manufacturer of athletic field marking paint and equipment. Pioneer's line-up of field paints, striping machines, stencils and athletic accessories are used by over 22,000 high schools, colleges and professional athletic organizations throughout North America.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The ball diamonds at Purdue University have both been recognized for their well-maintained, all-natural playing surfaces, with baseball's Alexander Field and softball's Bittinger Stadium officially becoming Fields of Excellence.
Pioneer Athletics' Fields of Excellence award program honors outstanding athletic fields and the hardworking field crews who diligently maintain them. It was established in 1997 and has honored over 800 athletic fields from around the country.
Purdue soccer's Folk Field is a six-time honoree, entering the exclusive Fields of Excellence Club in 2017 after being recognized for the fifth straight year. While Folk Field was again deserving of recognition for its pristine condition in 2019, the Purdue sports turf staff opted to share the wealth and submit nominations for soccer's neighboring fields.
Alexander Field is one of only four baseball stadiums in the Big Ten Conference to still feature a full natural grass playing surface. The Boilermakers played their earliest home opener ever in 2019, hosting Milwaukee on March 12. Softball opened its home season at Bittinger 10 days later on March 22.
The Purdue sports turf staff is quick to recognize the contributions of students enrolled in the turf science program. Their assistance is invaluable in maintaining all of the university's outdoor fields. Most groundskeepers will tell you they prefer not to be noticed. A large amount of their work is done early in the morning, and on many gamedays, after sunset. But they also earn their keep during traditional daytime hours – adding moisture and getting the lips right on the infield. Steve Vonderheide (Alexander) and Ryder Haulk (Bittinger) served as the leaders of the grounds crews of the university's ball diamonds in 2019.
In some ways, the playing surface at Bittinger Stadium is even more difficult to maintain because of the traditional full dirt infield coupled with smaller areas of foul territory. Those small areas of grass on the infield side of foul territory routinely get heavy traffic and wear. The DuraEdge Pro surface for the infield was put to the test in 2019 as softball opted to hold its pregame batting practice on the field for the first time, a practice that will continue this season.
"A huge congratulations goes out to our field crew for being recognized with the Fields of Excellence Award," head softball coach Boo De Oliveira said. "They are the best in the business and their hard work helps make Bittinger Stadium the best playing surface in the country. They put so much attention to detail into our field. They truly are the team behind the team and we are grateful for them."
Barenburg's HGT Bluegrass was installed as the new playing surface at Alexander after the 2019 campaign. Regardless of the type of grass, getting the frost out and unfreezing the playing surface is always a challenge for the Purdue sports turf staff early in the year. The Boilermakers were able to practice at Alexander on Feb. 26 in 2019 and as early as Jan. 13 this semester.
The use of a skin tarp on the infield dirt has been a crucial addition to Alexander in recent years. It allows the infield grass to get the sunlight and moisture it needs, maintaining the photosynthesis while keeping the same amount of moisture out of the dirt. This prevents the freeze layer from not getting as deep. New this season is the use of an Air2G2 aerifier machine with the grass. It is intended to help limit the wear on high-traffic areas like the front of the mound, the back of the lip of the middle infield and position areas in the outfield.
"The opportunity to play on an all-natural surface is something we are very thankful for," head baseball coach Greg Goff said. "The grass and dirt are so well maintained. That makes a big difference for our infielders and really all of our players. Our grounds crew has done a tremendous job since Alexander opened in the fall of 2012 and in the last three years since I've been here they've taken it to another level. The quality of the playing surface coupled with the cosmetic upgrades our administration has made continues to demonstrate the commitment to baseball and our program."
But more than just the Boilermakers and their collegiate rivals play at Alexander and Bittinger. There are routinely half a dozen high school games played there in the spring. Both programs also host numerous camps in the summer and fall.
The IHSAA state finals return to Bittinger in June for the third consecutive season, expanding to a two-day event this year after four games were played in one day the last two years. Meanwhile, the Lafayette Aviators of the Prospect League are scheduled to play at Alexander this summer as Loeb Stadium in Lafayette undergoes a complete reconstruction. The Purdue sports turf staff will be busy with a summer league schedule that features 30 home games in 61 days.
Purdue's legacy as a turf and agriculture university is an important part of its history as a land-grant institution. Vonderheide and Haulk stress that it takes a great deal of teamwork among full-time and student staff to maintain the top-notch playing surfaces found at the northwestern edge of campus. The student-athletes have contributed as well. Numerous Boilermakers have been part of the sports turf staff during the summer months, including current baseball players Milo Beam, Trevor Cheaney, Ben Nisle and Trent Johnson.
Pioneer is the nation's leading manufacturer of athletic field marking paint and equipment. Pioneer's line-up of field paints, striping machines, stencils and athletic accessories are used by over 22,000 high schools, colleges and professional athletic organizations throughout North America.