Copyright © 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide
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About Jim Reiner and Baseball Field Maintenance…
My name is Jim Reiner. I'm a sports turf manager and author / publisher of many articles and
handbooks on sports field maintenance.
I developed the baseball field maintenance handbook, Transforming Your Baseball Field into
a Winning Field, which was designed to help those who care for youth sports fields to get
professional results with the least amount of time and cost.
My efforts -- both in groups and one-on-one -- transform ball fields to give your athletes the
opportunity to perform at their highest levels.
I have completed projects from minor upgrades to major renovations for all levels of baseball
and softball from T-Ball to College and everything in between. Prior to working in the
corporate setting, I was a groundskeeper for the Texas Rangers AAA team.
A quality baseball experience is possible. I believe in giving back to make a difference for
others. Creating great ball fields is just one way I invest in our youth and to help create
lifelong habits for success.
With this information, you not only have the power to create a great baseball experience...
you have the power to make a difference. How about using that power… to make a
difference?
This information in the Special Report is for education purposes only. It is not professional
advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of sports field professionals.
Consult your local sports groundskeepers before beginning or making changes in your field or
maintenance program, for diagnosis and treatment of diseases and problems, and for advice
regarding solutions.
Jim Reiner, Groundskeeper, Publisher, Editor,
Author, Transforming Your Baseball Field into a Winning Field
www.Ultimate-Baseball-Field-Renovation-Guide.com
Copyright © 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide
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Disclaimer:
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Copyright © 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide
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Baseball Field Improvement Projects
In this special report I’m going to show you how to get the most out of what you put into your field
renovation and upgrade projects so you too can have a winning sports field.
So, before you just head off to the local big box home improvement store and load up on supplies and
rental equipment, it’s good to have a plan.
Your best plan will be the result of doing a little homework to identify and prioritize your
improvement efforts. The field audit or assessment checklist is the tool to use. The checklist covers
all aspects of your ball park including topics most folks don’t even think about.
In this report I’m going to show you a real life example of using the audit to identify action required.
Then I’ll show you how to put together the list of tools and supplies needed and how to outline your
actual work day so you know exactly what you are going to be doing.
Then I’ll finish out this special report with detailed sample projects that are typical across all levels of
play. You will more than likely find samples that fit your needs. You can then use these as starters and
customize them specifically for you.
And lastly, these checklists and project plans are great tools for communicating with your director,
board, or volunteers. It can also help with your budget planning and getting everyone on board with
common expectations.
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The starting point:
I used the ball park audit checklist you will find in the ‘Checklists, Diagrams, and Charts’ special
report. This is a condensed version just showing you the individual items that had issues and required
some action.
This is the basis for the work planning, budgeting, scheduling, and the list of materials and equipment
required for the work days. As you can see, this field had a lot of issues probably not unlike yours.
Spring 2013
High school / PONY field
Baseball Field Maintenance Audit
Date
Inspected by Weather conditions at time of inspection
11-18-12 Jim Reiner
Sunny, 65 degrees, 6 days since the last rain
Playing Surface – Infield Dirt Area
Soil
 too loose to provide good running traction.
 surface is not loose enough around sliding
zones for safe sliding.
 too abrasive (rocks, etc) for safe sliding.
 too compacted to provide good drainage.
Action Required
Add 5-10 tons of good quality baseball
dirt; the dirt edge at the grass line is too
low.
Running paths / Sliding zones – have become worn
near bases and need to be leveled off.
3B path is low; rain water settles here
Batter’s box / Home plate / Pitcher’s mound –
have become worn and uneven. Permanently
positioned* mounds, home plate and bull pen areas in
grounds that receive moderate to heavy usage should
have unfired bricks packed as a base. This will assist
in preventing holes and uneven surface. *(12 months
of the year)
Infield mound could use clay
reinforcement at landing area
Infield area – has low spots, holes or is not level and
should be dragged / re-graded.
Soil build-up – there is a hazardous lip between the
skinned area and the turf.
Skinned areas – have unsafe wet spots and / or
puddles.
Bullpen mound at 3B needs a larger
platform at the pitcher rubber.
Bullpens in batting cage area need to be
rebuilt.
Overall, it is pretty good, but a little low
behind 1B at outfield grass edge. Add
some baseball dirt at third base area and
in first base cutout area.
Lip between 1B and 2B could use some
lowering as well as adding baseball dirt
near the grass line.
Puddling at 3B area and behind 1B at
outfield grass.
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Warning track – is overgrown with vegetation and /
or uneven in grade.
Yes, but we are continuously trying to
spray weeds and mow them down.
Foul areas – are uneven in grade / need
reconditioning.
LF foul line area needs weeds killed and
then dragged.
Playing Surface – Grass
Action Required
Bare spots – hard soil surface exposed.
Infield is good. Outfield has some bare
spots we are seeding.
PONY league cutout at 2B needs
soil/sand/compost added to raise the area
about 1 inch.
Outfield has a couple of very wet areas
that are squishy and leave ruts.
Soil sub-surface – is roughly graded making an
unsafe running surface.
Soil sub-surface – is too wet or drains poorly making
an unsafe running surface.
Texture, density or height – turf is not uniform
making an unsafe running surface.
Vegetation – there are weeds with thorns, bristles, or
burrs in turf.
Tire ruts – there are hazardous tire ruts in turf.
Outfield needs to be mowed and rolled.
Fall football practice on the outfield tore
it up and left heel indents.
We kill and mow these kind of weeds in
the warning track area. Mow them low
in the outfield grass.
Ruts in outfield from football and PE on
wet and saturated ground.
Playing Surface – General
Action Required
Maintenance equipment – such as rakes, hoses, etc,
have been left on the field.
Hose is out. Could be wound up in little
nook behind the quick coupler.
Litter and unsafe debris – is scattered around the
field and player / spectator areas.
Yes, this is a problem. We have a
general litter problem with all the school
kids.
Playing surface has some sprinkler heads
that stick up after they cycle on. Nook
behind hose quick coupler has two deep
holes.
This field is unique in design. That gives
it character.
Sprinkler heads, drainage grates, valve boxes, etc, in the field are above grade or have sharp edges or
unsafe protrusions.
Field design – our facility does comply with
recommended field design specifications. May be
varied providing the safety of players and spectators
is not compromised.
Home plate / Field layout – has been unsafely
altered. Home plate has been moved back toward the
backstop.
The nature of the setting has less than
normal room behind the plate to the
backstop. Nothing we can do about that.
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Bases & Anchoring
Action Required
Base ground stake – is unsafely protruding above the
surface grade.
3B peg should be a bit lower.
Pitcher’s rubber – is not level with the surrounding
surface or is not secured safely into the ground.
Check batting cage bullpen area.
Fencing
Action Required
Fencing – is not securely attached to the fence posts
with loose or broken ties.
Center field fence has loose pieces of
plywood pulling away from its frame.
Gaps – there are unsafe gaps under fencing.
LF has some gaps at the bottom.
Top rail – there is no top railing to secure fence.
Backstop – there are unsafe gaps or netting with
worn out boards or fencing.
We should repaint the top yellow
homerun line on the wood fence.
Netting from home plate to 3B is loose
and hanging.
Spectator Areas
Action Required
Nuts and bolts – on the seating area are loose or
missing or protruding.
Some boards need to be anchored down.
Steps – are even and accessible.
One of the steps from parking down to
the seats is broken. Dangerous.
Seating in parking area above 1B dugout
has gaps between field fencing and the
poles. A little child could fall down in
there.
There’s a low spot between the top of the
1B dugout and the fencing in the seating
area up there. Right in that corner there’s
not much protection from falling down
on the field.
Grandstand – there are gaps between adjacent units.
Other – there are hazardous protrusions, edges or
pinch points.
Kill the weeds under the bleachers.
General Safety
Action Required
Signage – there are no warning signs posted
informing players or spectators of rules or hazardous
conditions.
Make the corrections and then we don’t
need to put out warning signs.
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Next, we use the findings from the ball park audit to put together the projects and identify the materials
needed. This is a lot like putting together a grocery list, but a lot more fun!
Materials for Work Day
ITEM
Purpose
Lots of rings and clamps (Stan said
you’d know what these are)
To secure 260 feet of netting down the left field line
top and bottom
One plywood: ½” thick, 3 ply
To be cut and used to fix the outfield wall
Eight 1” x 6” boards ten feet long
Safety fencing along upper bleachers
One box of nails 4 inches long
Anchor braces for the fencing if needed
One box of sheet rock screws 2 ½
inches long
Mount the safety fencing to the telephone poles or
braces
One box of sheet rock screws 1 ¾
inches long
Mount the plywood to the outfield metal frame
One box of sheet rock screws 4 inches
long
Mount the brace and board to fix the broken step
Five 2”x4”x8’ boards
Cut into braces as needed
One 2” x 10” x 8’ board
Cut in half to brace and fix the broken step
Two tubes of exterior painter’s
caulking
Fix leaking roof over the 1B dugout
One 2” x 10” x sixteen feet long
Replace missing board on upper bleachers
Six nuts and six bolts three inches
long
Mount the bleacher board to the frame
One 2” x 8” eight feet long
Fill in fence gap up where Pastor sits to watch
a dozen plastic wire tie downs
to connect netting to the fence in right center
metal edge paint scraping tool
5 yards of topsoil
Remove peeling yellow home run line in preparation
for repainting
Fill in ruts, bring up new grass level by 2B
Mound clay
Reinforce infield mound and 3B bullpen
one bag of cement
Anchor the 3B peg
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EXAMPLE: baseball work day #1 as a result of the ball park audit and parts list above
1. Turf Maintenance
 Supplies needed: 50lbs 6-20-20, 250 lbs 21-4-7, 50 lbs 80/20 blue rye seed, ½ yard of topsoil,
field rake, drag, cyclone spreader, mower, sprinkler flags, stringer, long nails, hammer, fan rake
 Rental equipment needed: two core aerators
 Workers: 4 to do this together – mark sprinklers, aerating, remove high spot in front of mound
and near second base, spread seed, drag cores, fertilize, edging,
2. Finish painting: homerun line and touch up
 Supplies needed: maroon paint, yellow paint, rollers, trays, brushes, caulking, caulk gun
 Rental equipment needed: lift or 12’ ladder
 Workers: 2 or 3 to do this together: paint new homerun line, touch up other areas, paint top of
the 1B dugout
3. Dirt maintenance: infield, foul lines, warning track
 Supplies needed: field rakes, drag,
 Rental equipment needed: two thatchers, small tractor to pull the drag
 Workers: 4 to do this together – level edges, drag the infield dirt areas more level, run the
thatchers over any weeds along the foul lines and warning track.
4. Finish building the batting cage over the home bullpen area
 Supplies needed: poles, connectors, netting, tie downs for netting, gloves, tape measure, 10-12’
A frame ladder, Astroturf for batter boxes?
 Rental equipment needed: two man post hole digger would make this easier
 Workers: 3 or 4 to do this together – inventory poles, measure, place poles, dig holes, hang
netting
5. Roll the turf to level out ruts: outfield primarily
 Supplies needed: sprinkler flags
 Rental equipment needed: 1.5 ton steam roller or roller that attaches to a truck
 Workers: 2 to do this together – mark sprinklers, roll the turf, watch out for sprinklers and mud
catching on the roller
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EXAMPLE: baseball work day #2 as a result of the ball park audit and parts list above
1. Hang new netting along LF foul line & fix loose netting in right field
2. Start to build a batting cage over the home bullpen area
3. Fill in ruts with top soil; tamp it down
4. Painting touch up if needed
5. Rebuild mounds: infield and 3B bullpen
6. Finish leveling the dirt area in front of home plate & raise the drain pipe to the new level
7. Paint and hang baseballs on the right field wall
8. Turf Maintenance: mark sprinklers, mow, aerate, over seed, drag, fertilize @ field and school
9. Dirt maintenance: level the infield and foul lines, remove weeds from warning track
10. Roll the turf to level out ruts: outfield primarily
11. Fix loose 3B peg – cement it in
12. Clean up branches, leaves, wood scraps in the entire ball park area
13. Hang up sponsor signs
14. Fix roof leaks over the 1B dugout: caulk or use roofing paper
15. Straighten the leaning fence in center – TBD
16. Put new netting on L screens
17. Replace septic tank manhole cover
18. Add hooks in the dugouts to hang bat bags
19. Misc. wood work – plywood by 1B dugout hole, reinforce some corners, safety fencing, etc
20. Raise up the foul ball netting by the entrance to parking near 1B dugout
21. Repair property fence behind the bleachers
Equipment needed:
 Aerator – 2 walk behind core
 Dethatcher – 2
 Post hole digger
 Sky trak lift
 Leaf blower
 Riding mower
Tools needed:
Screw guns, rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, field drag, extension cords, hammers, skill saw, paint
brushes, crimpers for netting hooks, ladders
Supplies and materials needed:
Netting, 2 plywood, hooks, rail road tie or a 2”x8”x8’, bag of cement, 5 yards of topsoil, mound clay,
screws & nails, caulk or roof paper, more cement for fence in center, wire tie downs, manhole cover,
lots of hooks for the bat bags, gas for equipment, hooks for foul ball cable, seed, fertilizer, sprinkler
marking flags, cement and wood frames for fencing holes
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EXAMPLE: deliveries of materials and equipment for the work day at a softball field.
12 yards of
100% pro
baseball
field clay
3 ton
steamroller
Kubota will
tiller and
loader
Aerator
and sod
cutter
And then the detail work activities to improve the playing surface for a softball field.
Adding clay to the playing field to
improve footing and bounces
1. Lightly till the top 4 inches of the
playing field.
2. Spread 10 tons of clay over the
field. Rake and drag level. Till it
into the top 3-4 inches.
3. Lightly spray with water. Let it
absorb and dry a bit on top.
4. Roll with a steam roller.
5. Drag slowly twice.
6. Ready for competitive play!
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EXAMPLE: visual presentation of the turf maintenance process – this needs more explanation
and maybe use the checklist?
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EXAMPLE: improving a little league field
Increase the safety and playability for the little league junior field
1. Eliminate the 4 foot wide buildup at the infield dirt and outfield grass edge.
2. Eliminate the 1 foot wide raised area around the perimeter of the infield turf.
3. Build safe and durable infield mound and batter’s boxes.
4. Improve infield dirt areas for competitive quality footing and bounces.
5. Since we have the equipment, we could also fix the base cutouts on the minor A field
and roll the infield dirt on the minor A and little major fields to firm them up.
The deliveries required:
1. A transfer (truck and trailer load approx 25 yards) of baseball infield mix that is 50% clay
and 50% red lava dust
2. Tractor with a bucket and rear tiller
3. Lawn core aerator
4. Sod cutter
5. 1.5 ton steam roller
6. 200-400 unfired clay bricks
Tools, supplies, equipment, and manpower needed:
• Shovels, rakes
• Fertilizer spreader
• Gloves
• Drag mats
• Sprinklers and hoses
• Push mower
• ATV or riding mower to pull the drag mats
• Gas
• Tools: 200ft measuring tape, hammer, spike, tamp, string, marking spray paint,
• 8 or more workers
• Access to sprinkler box/timer
• Sprinkler marker flags
• A couple bags of powdered clay
Before we start:
1. Ensure we will have access through the parking lot and through the right field gate for
equipment and dirt delivery. We will need access to the field tools and the hose.
2. We need to work with the park folks to turn on the sprinklers just past the cutout so we
can mark them with sprinkler flags or with white / orange paint. I think they are out past
the hump we want to remove, but we need to make sure. That way we don’t run over
them or cut into them.
3. Order a transfer (truck and trailer) of baseball dirt. Get estimated cost.
4. We need a tractor with a bucket and rear tiller. The bucket will spread dirt and scrape
the infield hump. Rear tiller will help scarify the old dirt and mix in the new dirt so it
bonds. Ideally we need a 1.5 ton steamroller. Check on delivery and pickup dates and
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times – weekends?
We need an aerator and sod cutter. Where can we get these?
Find out if any one uses the junior field on Sunday.
Make sure we have a place to dispose of sod and dirt scraps.
Find out what kind of dirt is under the sod hump. Is it topsoil or baseball dirt?
Check height of mound compared to grass height just in front of the mound. Is it 10 ½
inches?
10. Arrange for food and drinks for the work day.
11. If we cut a larger infield dirt area, will we be able to drag it properly and water that far?
Do we have a hose that reaches? More to hand drag is more work. OK?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The day before we work:
1. The evening before: moisten the dirt area. No puddles.
2. Mark the cutout line in the grass.
3. Could even aerate all the turf areas also and cut the outer line.
The work day
Flag the sprinklers. We don’t want to hit any of them.
Improving the infield dirt area
1. Mark the base pegs so we don’t hit them with the tiller.
2. Moisten the dirt area. Till shallow to loosen it up. Keep tiller at least 1 foot away from
the grass edge.
3. Truck dumps the dirt. We spread with landscape rakes, mat drag, or spike drag. Till it in
to 3-4 inch depth.
4. Drag with the metal mesh drag to break up clumping and level the field.
5. Roll with a 1 ton roller to speed up the settling process and allow the field to firm up
more quickly. Moisten.
6. Slowly drag twice with a mat drag to loosen the surface and level any low spots.
7. Rake or sweep all edges to remove any loose material from the turf to prevent lips from
forming.
Mound - Reinforce the mound with approximately 100 unfired clay bricks.
1. Outline the landing areas and plateau.
2. Excavate 3 inches below the surface. Level and tamp firm.
3. Excavate the landing area and be 10 inches longer and wider than the longest stride of
our pitchers.
4. Blocks should be within ½ inch of the surface. Wedge the blocks into position ½ inch
below the rubber.
5. Fill around the blocks with adjacent soil and tamp to wedge together.
6. Tamp and water thoroughly several times for about an hour. Allow water to soak in.
Tamp firmly between watering.
7. Apply a thin layer of powdered mound clay. Moisten and tamp.
8. Rake infield mix over the surface and hand drag. Moisten.
9. Cover with a plastic tarp to hold in moisture.
Batter Boxes - Reinforcing the batter boxes with unfired clay bricks.
1. This area needs to be raised a bit. Move some infield dirt here to raise it.
2. Use approximately 50 unfired clay bricks per batter’s box.
3. Same process as with the mound.
4. Outline the boxes and work from the inside out.
5. When done, roll it.
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Remove hump between infield dirt and outfield grass
1. Either scrape flat with the tractor bucket or use a sod cutter to remove the sod and then
till and spread the dirt underneath.
2. Spread baseball dirt here.
3. Till. Level with rakes and drag.
4. Roll.
Reduce raised area along infield turf perimeter
1. Aerate in the wide of one pass. Aerate approximately 12 times. Remove the cores.
2. Mark lines and edge with sod cutter.
3. Cut a 3 inch wide and deep channel next to the turf.
4. Roll with the steam roller. Two to three passes.
5. Smooth dirt along the edge. Rake.
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Estimating Baseball areas:
Using the diagram as the guide for a typical baseball field layout:
The infield dirt area is 12,293 square feet. This is based on a formula: 1/4 the area of a circle with a
radius of 157 ft minus the grass area. At 1 inch deep, it takes 38 cubic yards of material to fill the dirt
area.
The infield grass area is 7,056 square feet based on an approximate length of 84 feet. Grass seed is
spread here at the rate of 5-6 pounds per 1000 sq ft. for over seeding. So, it takes about one 50 pound
bag of grass seed. Fertilizer is spread at a rate of 50 lbs per 10,000 sq feet. So, it takes about one 50
pound bag of fertilizer. Sand and compost as a top dressing is spread at the rate of 6 tons per acre. The
field would use approximately 2 tons for continuous top dressing and could probably use 4 tons for the
initial process.
Baseball improvements budget plan
Item & Cost or Comment about the item
25 yards of infield baseball dirt: 50% clay and 50% lava dust 25 yards * $29/yd = $750?
200 unfired clay bricks at .50 each * 200 = $100
Tractor tiller, steam roller, aerator - either donated or about $400 to rent for a day
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Spring Turf Maintenance Project
Wow, was this field ever out of control! Due to some irrigation problems and some outright
vandalism in the fall, the field fell into hard times. So, when spring maintenance came around,
we had our hands full.
This is a good example for you to learn from. Most ballparks need this in the spring.
The Problem Areas:



overgrown infield turf; I mean way overgrown 5 to 6 feet past the edge;
extensive weed and turf growth in basepaths, warning track, and into the
infield dirt; and
some thin and weak areas in the turf
Fixing It
So, where do we start? This project is really a version of the 10 step turf maintenance program. Except in this
case, we didn't use topdressing since we had used this extensively twice before. The turf had a good base. The
field just needed the usual spring time facelift.
Important! For best results in the spring, you really have to do a few things in the fall just before winter.
Here's what we did in November: (probably would have been better to do this
in October, but, hey, we didn't get to it)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Cut the grass way back.
Remove as much of the new grass growing in the infield dirt as we could.
Aerate the infield in a criss cross pattern
Use a thatcher to get out the weeds in the infield turf area and lightly 'till' the
top 1-2 inches of the dirt.
5. Spread grass seed and fertilizer
6. Pulled a drag over all this to mix it in and help smooth it out
Then it rained during December. But, January was one of the coldest and driest
months on record. So, not much grew that month. But in anticipation of the new
season, we held the first work day on the last Saturday of January.
And here's what we did for this project in January: (it was cold, so we only worked from about 9-11am.)
1. Aerated the infield turf
2. Removed weeds from the mound
3. Threw out some more seed and a little fertilizer on the infield
Most of the spring turf maintenance project was completed during the first half of February. The weather was
nice, so we were able to finish up the entire spring maintenance project.
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Here's what we did in February:
1. Edge all grass areas with a sod cutter (infield, foul lines, outfield edge, infield
mound, and the warning track)
2. Overseed and fertilize
3. Rebuild the bullpen mounds
4. Spotseed a couple weeks later
This was all completed in time for the opening day game on February 25.
I know. Some of you live in areas where there's still snow on the ground in February. I grew up in northern
Montana. The only way we played baseball in February was to wrap black electricians tape around the ball so
we could see it in the snow!
Field is ready for play 4 weeks after starting spring cleanup.
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Project - Little League Field
Turf Maintenance and Lip Removal
Does your field have a lip so big it's like a speed bump?
The Problem Area
Most little league fields eventually get a BIG lip build up if preventative
measures aren't taken. This field got a huge lip buildup for a couple
reasons:
1. 5 tons of crushed brick baseball mix was added in the spring by just dumping and spreading it on top. It
stayed too loose.
2. Then 5 more tons of the stuff was added in the summer just for the fun of it. Coaches thought it looked
nice when it was wet down. Sure did. But it was loose all over the place.
3. And the biggest problem of all - dragging over the edge of the grass
Fixing It
We used a sod cutter to fix the lip buildup and to edge the rest of the turf to spec.
1. First, we located the sprinklers along the edge of the outfield grass and the
infield dirt. They were all in a perfect arc 53 feet from the center of the
mound. So we knew where not to cut.
2. Then I used the sod cutter and cut off the grass and the lip buildup that
ranged from 48 feet to 52 feet from the mound. This was a four foot wide
area like a speed bump.
3. Next, we rolled up the bad grass, raked the dirt smooth, and hauled the scraps away using a
wheelbarrow.
4. Lastly, we lined out the infield grass to spec and used the sod cutter to remove minor lip buildup as well
as make it nice and straight.
Tip
For a project like this it really helps working with
someone who can measure properly and draw a straight
line next to the stringer. The guy I worked with was great
at doing this.
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Project to Raise the Low Areas on
the Infield Grass by Adding Sand
Want to get rid of bad bounces?
Want to get rid of puddling on the infield grass after rains?
THIS process works.
Finding the problem areas
On this field, the infield turf area was not level anymore. Low spots had developed
between the mound and third base and between the mound and first base. Maybe
constant foot traffic in these areas did this. Especially if this happened with the
ground wet.
So, what's the best way to find out where the problem areas are on your infield turf? What I do is mow it. By
hand. If you walk behind a mower you get a very good feel for the dips, ruts, and high spots. You and the mower
will be able to feel it.
So, as you mow, mark the spots where it obviously is low. If you already know great. But sometimes you find
more my mowing. I use the sprinkler flags to mark the areas.
Here's what you need for this project
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Mower to mow the infield before starting this project
Infield drag - the wire mesh type works best for this
Lawn roller or steam roller optional
2-3 yards of dry fill sand
Shovels, wheelbarrow, and / or buckets
Field rake
Fixing It
1. When you start this process, it's best that your field is not dry as a bone. In preparation for the rest of
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
the work, water the day before.
When the grass is dry, mow it. Mow the grass so it is about 1-1/2 inches long. It's best if you either rake
up the clippings or catch them in the mower grass catcher.
Roll the infield turf. This step is optional and works best on slightly moist dirt. But if you have some really
lumpy spots, it will help alot. You can either use a lawn roller or a steam roller. On this field I used the
lawn roller first. This helped some, but I also used the steam roller. This turned the lumpy, bumpy areas
into more gently rolling areas. These are easier to fix with the sand.
Spread the sand so 75% of the grass still sticks up. You can dump the sand in small piles and rake it
around.
Then drag the area several times to level out the sand and work it down to the root zone.
Water like normal.
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7. Play on it.
8. Repeat the same process in 2-3 weeks. Most of the sand will seem to have disappeared.
9. Keep doing this till the low spots level out.
Tips & Hints
1. You can throw out some grass seed on the sand before you use the hand
drag to level it out. This can help strengthen and thicken turf if needed. A
light application of fertilizer helps too.
2. If you are using a steam roller, this is a great time to work on fixing any lips
at the grass edges too.
Things not to do on this project:
1. Don't roll it after sanding, roll before; otherwise it's like sandpaper on the grass. It will be stressed it you
do this.
2. Don't work with wet sand; it doesn't spread very well. I tried this once because the sand delivery was
wet. It's just a lot more work and it is heavier when it's wet.
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How to use clay bricks to reinforce
your softball or baseball mound
Tired of pitching into or out of a hole? Fix it with unfired clay bricks!
Here is a worn out mound!
Is yours this bad? Probably not, but does your baseball mound end up
with holes where the pitcher lands?
Do you know that landing holes can injure your pitcher or cause him to
alter his delivery? Maybe the bad mound is the reason he has trouble
throwing strikes.
Do you want your mound to look good and be solid for your pitchers?
Fix your mound with this 30 minute project.
Reinforcing your mound with unfired clay bricks. Source: brick factory or landscape product
wholesaler
In this example, I completed the job with just a few baseball field tools. I used the
following:
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wheelbarrow to haul the bricks
damp towel on the bricks to keep them soft
square shovel for cutting bricks and moving loosened dirt
hula how to loose dirt
field rake to finish the job
tamp to flatten and mash the seams together
30 unfired clay bricks
First, I marked out the landing area and went about 10 inches wider and longer than the
longest stride of the pitchers. This is a high school field here. But you could do the same with
a little league field.
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I used the hula how and the shovel to dig out a rectangle about 3
inches below the surface. This area should be level and firm. Tamp if
needed.
Then lay the bricks using an alternating pattern as you see in the
picture. I filled in the shorter spots with bricks that I cut in half with a
shovel. It's easy to cut them. Just place the flat edge and step on the
shovel. It cuts right through.
Next I tamped the bricks down and together. I used a damp, thin
towel over the bricks. This kept the tamp from sticking and picking up
clumps. Most bricks wouldn't do that, but I did this just in case.
So, here's what it looked like after tamping the
entire block back and forth about four times.
The bricks have melted together and are firmly
in the ground. I pushed some of the
excavated baseball dirt back along the
edges and tamped it down.
Then I used the rake to spread the rest of the excavated baseball dirt over the top of the
bricks. It was less than a half inch deep.
I then tamped this down using the same thin towel. Again this prevents any lumps from
sticking to the tamp and helps keep the tamped surface flat.
At this point, I was about 20 minutes into the job and the towel was starting to dry out a bit. I
used the field rake to smooth and slightly rough up the surface.
Here you see a pitcher using the mound right after I finished the job.
Note: the pitcher's landing foot is not in a hole or making a hole.
The footing is firm, with just a little give since the bricks are not hard as
a rock, but still firm.
And of course, the best way to keep lock in this mound improvement is to water lightly and
put a tarp over it when not in use.
You can do this. Be a hero for your pitchers!
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A superior pitching surface prevents injuries and helps keep pitchers from messing up their
delivery.
Tips and Hints
1. Keep the unfired clay bricks from drying out. Haul them either with a damp towel on
them or in a plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. I use a giant plastic bag and
sprinkle some water on the bricks. Then I seal them up till I use them.
2. If the edges of the bricks start to turn a light color, then they are drying out and may
not be usable anymore.
Here’s a whole pallet of unfired bricks.
And here’s a player installing bricks in front of his pitching plate.
But, what if you can’t afford, or get,
bricks/bags?
An alternative is to use mortar clay mix.
• Work it into the existing mound and
home plate area.
• Dampen and tamp.
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How to add and level several
truck loads of baseball dirt
Are you adding tons of new baseball mix?
Or does your current baseball field have humps and valleys in the dirt?
First, have the truck dump the dirt in several 2-4 yard size piles.
This makes it easier to spread the baseball dirt and do some of the
work by hand.
Move and spread dirt by hand that goes right next to the grass
edge. Prevent lip build up on your infield and ensure it is level in this
area. Spread it and then use a lawn roller on it to pack it down here.
Spreading all the dirt: option 1 - Use shovels, wheelbarrows, and
field rakes to move, spread, and level. Hand spreading 27 tons of dirt
is a big job. Too big for me.
You can see from this picture that just spreading some in front of
second base is a big job.
Spreading all the dirt: option 2 - Use a tractor with a loader to
spread the dirt. A tractor is certainly the fastest way to move the
baseball dirt, spread it, and mix it in. The rear tiller also helps level the
dirt mix after you mix it in.
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Whether you move and spread by hand or with a tractor, you probably will not yet have a
completely firm and flat surface. This can be accomplished with a series of leveling and
dragging devices.
Or with laser leveling. I'll leave the laser leveling for the moment and talk about what you can
do yourself.
Leveling the baseball dirt: option 1 - The spike drag. This is a
heavy metal drag.
The spikes are really long bolts sticking out of the metal frame. These
don't bend for nothing.
The spikes break up the top two to three inches of the dirt mix. You
can also flip the spike drag over so the spikes are up and the flat side
is down. Dragging with it like this helps level the dirt.
Drag slow to medium speed. Not too fast or you actually cause more
lumps and bumps.
Leveling the baseball dirt: option 2 - the leveling rack. This is an attachment you can pull
behind your tractor or riding mower.
The device has some spikes in the front to loose up the baseball mix
as it passes over it. Then the device has a wide metal plate that can
be raised and lowered to scrape high spots and spread dirt in low
spots.
It comes with a hand control so you can raise and lower the wide
metal plate via a hydraulic piston as you pull it. Nice.
If the dirt mix is hard, just add some weight such as a couple cinder blocks to get the spikes
to loosen it up.
Finish with the metal mesh drag to smooth it out.
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Firming up the surface:
To firm up the new baseball dirt you need one of two things. Water or a roller. Rain is best. It
settles and firms up and any puddles or discoloration as it dries shows you remaining low
spots.
1. A steam roller is great for instant firm surface also. Just roll it twice with a steam roller and
you are done.
2. Rain also helps pack the mix and firm it. You can see from the pictures that the baseball
dirt that was moved, spread, and leveled next to the grass edge is colored a rich red after the
rain. Time your work and let the rain help you.
Tips and Hints:
Use a tractor with a rear tiller to mix in the new dirt and existing dirt to get it to bond together.
Otherwise the new dirt just sits loose on top of the older hard dirt.
It's also better to have your new dirt slightly moist and your existing field slightly damp when
you start this.
The finished job.
Flat. No lips. Firm footing. No bad bounces. No drainage problems after rain.
Copyright © 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide
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How to roll baseball field turf
so it is level
Is your top soil under your baseball field turf lumpy and bumpy?
There are several ways to level your turf area:
Roll your baseball field turf
Preparation: Before you roll your baseball field turf with a 1-3 ton roller, it is best to do a few
things:
1. Consider rolling your turf as part of an overall turf maintenance program. This means
you'll be doing some field maintenance before and after rolling as part of getting your field
in great shape.
2. Mow your baseball field grass to its normal mowing. If you don't mow real long grass, it
can get matted down in the dirt and be hard to mow later.
3. Walk your field to get a feel for where the trouble spots are.
4. Got some high lips around the turf perimeter? Consider cutting out the lips before you roll
baseball field turf.
5. Know our sprinklers. If the heads are 1-2 inches under ground, then you won't have a
problem rolling over them. However, if any of the heads are ground level or higher (which
they shouldn't be - that's not safe for players with cleats), then you need to mark the high
sprinklers so you don't crush them.
6. Got some real bad holes out there? Like where the outfielders stand and dig in with their
cleats? Then put some top soil in the hole first.
7. Time the rolling so the ground is moist, but not soggy. Hard ground does not roll well. It
needs to be damp to have some give.
8. Make sure you have field access for the roller equipment. Avoid baseball field maintenance
goofs.
9. Driving the steam roller yourself? Then check here for tips and hints for best results when
using a steam roller to level your baseball field turf.
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Roll baseball field turf: This part is easy, but as always with heavy equipment, be careful.
1. Roll the turf in an X pattern to ensure lumps and bumps are
flattened.
2. Be careful about tight turns - this can tear up the ground.
3. Be careful near fencing and back stops. Know how high and far
the roller extends out.
4. Practice forward, reverse, and stopping on a steam roller in wide
open areas before going near structures.
5. Check known bad spots to see if you need to roll again or add
some top soil and roll again.
Roll baseball field turf in an X pattern
After you roll baseball field turf to level it:
IMPORTANT: rolling levels, but also compacts the soil. This can stress
or even damage turf roots.
1. Core aerate the turf so it can breathe and get nutrients to the roots.
2. This is a good time to overseed and fertilize your grass if you haven't done so.
3. When you roll baseball field turf, you flatten out small mounds and small holes. It does
not flatten out wide and slightly rolling undulations you might have. It just smooths them
out. If you have obvious low spots (for example a 15 foot diameter area where the left
fielder stands) spread some topsoil and rake smooth so the top of the grass shows
through.
4. Cycle through your sprinklers to ensure they still work and make sure you didn't damage
one by accident.
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Five other ways to level your baseball field turf and dirt
1. Big holes or ruts in the outfield: fill them in with reclaimed sand
and cover with topsoil and seed.
2. Uneven infield turf: best thing to do is several applications of
topdressing.
3. Infield turf with major ruts and undulations: spread out 10 tons of top soil / compost and
drag it level.
4. Infield skin (dirt) not level: add about 3-5 tons on a little league baseball field and spread,
till, then level with a box or leveler device, and drag.
5. Major infield turf problems: scrape with a tractor and smooth bucket
and start over. See example of this kind of field renovation for a baseball
field at a park and rec department. It was so bad, there was no other real
way to fix it.
Copyright © 2013 The Ultimate Baseball Field Renovation Guide
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