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  • New Baseball Field Turf

    I heard two summers ago about the plan to replace the soccer turf, followed by football last year and baseball this year. As the summer went on, I was wondering what happened to that plan, but it looks like the process has started today to replace the baseball turf. Thank God, because it was really old and discolored.

    https://twitter.com/UCincyBaseball/s...02374190391297
    Nate Shelton

    Now Is The Time, This Is The Place

  • #2
    The original plan was to turf the whole field except the pitchers mound. That includes the batters box and the sliding pits. Is that what they are doing?

    If I were a prospect and was expected to slide on turf pits. I would find another school.

    OUCH!!!

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    • #3
      Where did you hear that plan from?

      I sure hope they don't do that. I remember playing on all turf fields like that on high school trips to Myrtle Beach and it was horrible. They used brown turf where the infield dirt would be. I've never heard of a field having turf in the batters box though, I highly doubt that would ever happen. Wish it was just grass, but thats a lot of upkeep
      Nate Shelton

      Now Is The Time, This Is The Place

      Comment


      • #4
        Louisville's field is all turf including the batters boxes and sliding pits. I know for a fact that our previous coaching staff wanted our field to look like that because it eased the amount of work that the player would need to do before and after each game. They were the grounds crew. No one helped them.

        I still have the scars and painful memories of sliding on the turf in Nippert in inter-mural games. If I were choosing a school to play baseball it would definitely be a consideration. I wouldn't want my legs to be torn up for four years.

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        • #5
          gobearcats:

          Work will be completed by August 28th.

          All areas of the field, including the warning track, home plate, pitcher's mound and bullpens will be turf.
          http://www.gobearcats.com/sports/m-b...071614aab.html

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          • #6
            Not a fan of the very little dirt, but it looks sharp!
            Nate Shelton

            Now Is The Time, This Is The Place

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by nbshelton View Post
              Not a fan of the very little dirt, but it looks sharp!
              Sounds like no turf at all.

              Easy to take care of but I wonder how pitchers and batters will adjust to the different feel.

              And an even bigger wonder is how many players won't slide when they should.

              Both could affect a games outcome.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Bearcat Otto View Post
                Sounds like no turf at all.

                Easy to take care of but I wonder how pitchers and batters will adjust to the different feel.

                And an even bigger wonder is how many players won't slide when they should.

                Both could affect a games outcome.
                They technology of those turf fields is actually pretty good. The sliding pits feel softer than soft and crushed brick fields so that won't be bad. Just maybe some turf burns for head first diving.
                Nate Shelton

                Now Is The Time, This Is The Place

                Comment


                • #9
                  If you have ever played on turf you know that turf burns are very painful. I definitely think it could affect a kids decision to come to UC.

                  And it could very much change the feel of the game. A pitcher is used to landing on dirt. The feel of planting your foot on turf will take some time to adjust.

                  Sliding will also take time to adjust. And the players may think twice about sliding and opening the recent turf burn again. I suppose that they can wear sliding pads up and down their legs but that will take time to adjust the feel too.

                  A batter is used to digging in in the batters box. He can no longer do that. Again, the feel of the game is affected. On a plus side of this area, the batters box definitions will never be able to go away. Maybe the umpires will start to call it when players lean into or leave the box to get a HBP.

                  Everything takes time. I hope that this move does not cost us players. I just know that in the many years that I played, I would have thought twice about committing to a school that had plastic sliding pits. A never healing open wound on my leg was the most painful injury I ever sustained. Subconsciously I may have made s decision that changed the game by not sliding. I hope again that does not happen but I can almost guarantee you it will.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I assume that this is new-style field turf, right? The bouncy, rubbery stuff with black pellets? I know Astro-turf had lots of injury risks, but I thought that injury risks on new-style turf were lower than natural surfaces.

                    At least, I remember sliding on it during IM football games (repeatedly laying out for a catches because I'm awesome) . At the time I thought that it hurt less than sliding on a regular grass lawn, making it about the same injury risk as a well-manicured grass field.
                    UC MBA '08
                    Purdue '15

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Bearcat Otto View Post
                      If you have ever played on turf you know that turf burns are very painful. I definitely think it could affect a kids decision to come to UC.

                      Sliding will also take time to adjust. And the players may think twice about sliding and opening the recent turf burn again. I suppose that they can wear sliding pads up and down their legs but that will take time to adjust the feel too.
                      I have to disagree. I did mention earlier that I have played baseball on turf. I played at the Cal Ripken facilities in Myrtle Beach for a week which is a first class facility that has turf everywhere but the mound and the plate. The sliding pits are made softer and there is far less pain and burn when sliding into bases as compared to a dirt field. The only difference is that you slide much further, which takes some getting use to. I know I slid by 2nd a few times there.

                      They won't be installing astro turf that hurts like they had before. It'll be similar to the football field, with even softer areas for sliding.
                      Nate Shelton

                      Now Is The Time, This Is The Place

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Bearcat Otto View Post
                        If you have ever played on turf you know that turf burns are very painful. I definitely think it could affect a kids decision to come to UC.

                        And it could very much change the feel of the game. A pitcher is used to landing on dirt. The feel of planting your foot on turf will take some time to adjust.

                        Sliding will also take time to adjust. And the players may think twice about sliding and opening the recent turf burn again. I suppose that they can wear sliding pads up and down their legs but that will take time to adjust the feel too.

                        A batter is used to digging in in the batters box. He can no longer do that. Again, the feel of the game is affected. On a plus side of this area, the batters box definitions will never be able to go away. Maybe the umpires will start to call it when players lean into or leave the box to get a HBP.

                        Everything takes time. I hope that this move does not cost us players. I just know that in the many years that I played, I would have thought twice about committing to a school that had plastic sliding pits. A never healing open wound on my leg was the most painful injury I ever sustained. Subconsciously I may have made s decision that changed the game by not sliding. I hope again that does not happen but I can almost guarantee you it will.

                        Almost all D-1 schools in the North have moved to the all turf fields. Most Big Ten schools are that way.
                        Alabama, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Oregon and Virginia Tech are the only schools with atleast 10 wins in 4 of the last 5 seasons.

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