Engineering Project: Field Condition

Hi there! We're students at Howard High School in central Maryland, and we're trying to develop a prototype to address poor field conditions.

Please fill out this quick questionnaire (6 multiple-choice) to help us target the community's greatest needs:
bit.ly/softball-eng-survey

Thank you so much for taking the time!
Peter, Greg, and Erin
 

stang7222

Addicted to Softballfans
I dont think most issues are from the engineering. None of the fields in my area have running water anywhere near the fields to wet them down and moisten the clay. So in the summer when it doesn't rain for a week or two, the infileds are like parking lots. Also, some fields near me are used twice a day 7 days a week from April thru October. The batters boxes are horrible bc of this.
 

Bballkking1

The Veteran
What are you trying to develop? A prototype of what? I used to work for the local park district and maintained rec level fields for years.
 
What are you trying to develop? A prototype of what? I used to work for the local park district and maintained rec level fields for years.
We're in the brainstorming stage, which is why we put out the survey to gather community input on what we should seek to address. We might make a combined nail drag/rock collector, perhaps wetting the dirt, or other funcionality that people on this forum think would be most important.

In your experience maintaining rec fields, what's the biggest challenge? Do rec teams on your fields have to conduct any field prep themselves?
 
I dont think most issues are from the engineering. None of the fields in my area have running water anywhere near the fields to wet them down and moisten the clay. So in the summer when it doesn't rain for a week or two, the infileds are like parking lots. Also, some fields near me are used twice a day 7 days a week from April thru October. The batters boxes are horrible bc of this.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Do you think that nail dragging / breaking up the surface would help address that, or is water application essential?
 

Bballkking1

The Veteran
We're in the brainstorming stage, which is why we put out the survey to gather community input on what we should seek to address. We might make a combined nail drag/rock collector, perhaps wetting the dirt, or other funcionality that people on this forum think would be most important.

In your experience maintaining rec fields, what's the biggest challenge? Do rec teams on your fields have to conduct any field prep themselves?

Teams/players do not have to conduct any field prep, I'd think that is pretty rare and a service that comes with our league entry fees.

The biggest challenge of maintaining the fields was limited time during our work day. Ball field prep was probably 10% of our job duties and most employees just want to get it all over with as quickly and as easy as possible.

The specific problem with my current fields, which are dragged with a mat, is that they are a smooth, flat, rock hard surface that has been rained on and beat by the sun. The infield needs to be turned over with a power rake on the back of a tractor with some weight and then dragged smooth.
 

stang7222

Addicted to Softballfans
Thanks for sharing your experience! Do you think that nail dragging / breaking up the surface would help address that, or is water application essential?
I think the nail drag would help if done when it doesn't rain for a while. A week of July sun and no rain makes the field rock solid. Nail drag, water, and then a drag mat would be perfect. Unfortunately, municipal employees aren't doing that.
These same fields are a dream to play on if it rains a day or two before the games. Soft and true.
I think watering the fields is the most important aspect.
 
I think the nail drag would help if done when it doesn't rain for a while. A week of July sun and no rain makes the field rock solid. Nail drag, water, and then a drag mat would be perfect. Unfortunately, municipal employees aren't doing that.
These same fields are a dream to play on if it rains a day or two before the games. Soft and true.
I think watering the fields is the most important aspect.
Alright, thank you for letting us know! You make a great point, and we'll look towards making a prototype that combines those in one easy mechanism!
 
Teams/players do not have to conduct any field prep, I'd think that is pretty rare and a service that comes with our league entry fees.

The biggest challenge of maintaining the fields was limited time during our work day. Ball field prep was probably 10% of our job duties and most employees just want to get it all over with as quickly and as easy as possible.

The specific problem with my current fields, which are dragged with a mat, is that they are a smooth, flat, rock hard surface that has been rained on and beat by the sun. The infield needs to be turned over with a power rake on the back of a tractor with some weight and then dragged smooth.
That's really interesting to hear; where are you from? In my area, teams often have to conduct field maintenance themselves when practicing on fields that aren't part of an organized league.
 

Bballkking1

The Veteran
Are you talking about practice or games? No pre
That's really interesting to hear; where are you from? In my area, teams often have to conduct field maintenance themselves when practicing on fields that aren't part of an organized league.

Are you talking about practice or games? No prep is offered for a practice or BP. I've played rec nights at probably a dozen parks in the midwest, Colorado, and Phoenix area. I do think the climate/weather in a region will affect which part of the field is in the poorest condition.

And I agree with those who mentioned batters boxers, they are always a wild card.
 

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
They put the rubber mats under the boxes at our fields a few years back, it actually made it worse because batters would dig through the dirt until they hit the rubber :rolleyes: Now they're all turfed in the infield so no more issues except those darn rubber pieces everywhere and in everything
 
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