Softball field repair - pitcher's mound, catcher's and batter's boxes (pics)

[tractorshopper]

Since it rained Saturday after doing the righty box. I took a half day of vacation Monday to try to wrap up. Was actually good that it rained so much because digging and getting down to good clay and peeling layers of it became much easier on Monday, even if each bucket full to carry off and dump was much heavier.

Started first on catcher's box.

 

[tractorshopper]

Finished up with lefty batter's box. Was not too bad at all and really didn't need it, but we had the materials, so at that point why not?

 

[tractorshopper]

Finally finished. Now need to wait a week or so while it cures and see what the results are. I had left some of the wet bricks out even one from Friday and by Monday it was rock hard so as the other stuff cures slower under the soil, it should hold up way way way better than just the soil that it was built from originally.



Next step: Play Ball!!!

 

[tractorshopper]

Oh, and why didn't I work on it Sunday you ask? Because I was at a tournament with one daughter while my wife was at a different park with my other daughter's tournament. This is pretty normal these days and we rotate as best we can. Here's a pic of my oldest daughter's travel team, who won the tournament Sunday. My daughter pitched 2 full games and finished the championship game (4th game that day). She's front row far right here.

Normally we like to be in church Sunday mornings, but sometimes travel ball tournaments go Sat and Sun, so our daughters' teams do devotionals on Sunday really early in the morning.

 

[Larro Darro]

WOW!! I have never seen bricks used before. Is there enough give to the top layer of dirt so a player sliding won't get hurt?

The Civic Center where I work used to handle the Rec for the County, and I did a lot of softball and baseball field prep work back then. We made a drag from scrap angle and used 20d case hardened nails for the spikes. It broke the clay up good, down to 3 3/4". Of coarse I had to use a rake around the bases and the mound. A big problem we have here in NW Florida is it is bad to rain cats and dogs right before the game. I have had to drag the fields to get rid of mud, then re-chalk the lines with both teams standing there watching me.

 

[tractorshopper]

Yes, the top layer is Turface about 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Its kind of like kitty litter. The reason for the bricks is longevity and strength. The girls wear steel cleats and really put wear and tear on the fields. I researched this pretty good and this is what the pros do to their fields to maintain them. Our coach knew about this already and suggested it as the best solution which is how I learned about it.

I know you work hard to prep the fields after the rains. We have been on the watching side of that at quite a few tournaments recently. It's been a wet summer here.

 

[Larro Darro]

That is interesting. I'll have to do a little reading on Turface. Before I had my present job {almost 23 years now} I worked at a golf coarse. I went from that to keeping up the ball fields. I enjoyed working with sports turf. Folks are always in a good mood on the links or at the ball park. You don't have too many jerks to deal with. But we {the Civic Center} got out of Rec almost 20 years ago. I still worked with turf for ten or twelve more years, but it was yard grass, hay and pasture. I used to maintain the grounds at the Civic Center, do a few yards on the side, as well as two fifteen acre hay fields and about eighty acres of pasture. Now the only grass I cut is my 6 1/2 acre front yard, and the 1/2 acre family graveyard.

 

[tractorshopper]

Larro Darro - Coach is pulling off the string barricade today and taking his softball class (yes, there is a softball class available in high school now) out there today. We'll start getting feedback now. I'm a little concerned because we had rain this week, but he has looked at this morning and said it feels firm. He said he'd monitor it to see how it goes or if it needs more cure time.

 

[Larro Darro]

Well good luck with it. I still haven't got around to checking out Turface yet. I worked in the barn {laying carpet. ha} all day today. When I get back to work tomorrow, I will have some time.