Major League Baseball teams have 30- and 40-man grounds crews to keep their baseball diamonds in top shape. However, in amateur or youth league baseball there may be one or two groundskeepers in charge of keeping the field in good shape, not counting volunteers. Much has to be done when the ground is wet to make the field playable again.
Electric Pumps
When fields have been hit with soaking rains, using electric pumps that empty into a storm sewer or drainage system are one way to make baseball fields playable again. The pumps are especially vital tools after soaking rains that saturate the ground.
Brooms
Excess water can be swept off with push brooms. If your field is crowned and is higher in the middle than it is near the foul lines, you can push the water off to the sides to make the field playable.
Red Clay
To make the mound work for pitchers, you must build a new pitching mound prior to the start of every season with fresh red clay. If heavy rains make a field unplayable, you may have to use fresh clay to rebuild the pitching mound. Pitching mound clay usually comes in brick form. Break up the bricks and spread the clay evenly. Use a long tool called a tamp to rebuild the pitcher's mound to excellent condition.
Diamond Dry
After the field has been pumped and swept and the sun has had a chance to dry things out a bit, you can accelerate the process of drying out the diamond by putting a compound called Diamond Dry on the surface. Professional groundskeepers don't like to use this substance too often because it can have a long-term negative impact on the dirt under the surface of the field. However, it dries out wet soil immediately and can make the field playable in a very short time.
Gentle Raking
Never scrape the field when you are preparing it for a game. Gentle raking will allow you to fine-tune your field when it is just slightly wet. But if you have a muddy field, you can't just turn the dirt over and make it playable. Instead, give the field a once-over with a rake.
Member Comments