Sports

A new turf monster

Brennan Rea, sports writer| October 3, 2022

The current grass baseball field, this is where the turf field would go.

As a dark storm rumbles across KHS, baseball and softball players look out of their classroom windows with faces of disappointment, realizing their games after-school will most likely be postponed or canceled. However, some relief may be in store for these athletes as Dr. Mike Havener, KHS principal, shares plans for new turf fields.

“First of all, nothing [has] been approved,” Dr. Havener said. “[But] There are plans to turf the soccer and field hockey fields as well as the lacrosse and baseball fields, which would combine baseball and softball into one field.”

He said that combining the baseball and softball fields could take time to do and the plan is still being worked on. The plan hasn’t yet been proposed to the school board, and would have to be approved before being put into action.

“If the school board decided to approve it, this [wouldn’t be] a small project,” Havener said. “[The project would take about] three to six months, but [I’m not] a turf expert, it would have to be timed appropriately with baseball and softball [seasons].”

Havener said turf wouldn’t be the only new installation. There could be new items added to improve the field further.

“[We would add] bleachers, backstop, things of that nature,” Havener said. “It depends on [the] price, if we can afford everything, then that can be included, [otherwise it] would have to be a later project.”

Havener said turf fields could be expensive. He said that acquiring enough supplies to build the fields could be a challenge.

“I’m going to estimate [the turf will cost] between two and three million [dollars],” Havener said. “But knowing where the economy is [and] trying to get supplies, that could adjust.”

Adam Tobias, junior, thinks the turf field is a great idea because turf can improve any field. He said it is nicer and better to play on than dirt.

“I think a turf field would be a great idea [because] games don’t get rained out as much and you don’t have to maintain the dirt,” Tobias said. “It’s a nicer experience for the baseball players overall. With turf fields, the bounce of the baseball is pretty consistent and it usually won’t take bad hops on you. [They also] look professional.”

Tobias thinks this will help the baseball program as a whole. He said being able to practice every day on a field will potentially attract new players and improve the program.

“More people will play if there’s nicer fields and facilities for baseball,” Tobias said. “Multiple times a week, [practice] seemed to be in the gym. There’s less space and you can’t really do much. When you are out on the field, you have an advantage over other teams because you get to play together more on the full field.”

Zoey Daniels, sophomore, said she also thinks turf is a good idea. She said while she does enjoy softball having its own field, the positives of turf outweigh the negatives.

“I think it could be a good idea because I love playing on turf,” Daniels said. “[But] I think without a dedicated softball field, people will overlook softball which could be a problem.”

Daniels said turf fields affect players in different ways. It can help the batters, but hurt the fielders and pitchers.

“On turf, the ball travels a lot farther, which is good for a hitter, and it’s a lot smoother to run on,” Daniels said. “I think it’s harder for a fielder because the ball bounces so much and moves faster. It’s harder to get grip on turf and metal cleats really help with that on a dirt field. You also get a lot more power on a dirt mound.”

Havener said that many practices and games have been rained out. With this new addition to the baseball and softball programs, that could change.

“I think Coach Nesslage can verify this, there’s been only 20 times that we can practice in the last three years because of the weather,” Havener said. “Games are being moved and postponed because of the fields in all sports. As long as [there’s no] lighting, if you have turf, you can continue to play.”