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PENNSYLVANIA TURFGRASS:
Every year at the annual KAFMO Athletic Field Conference in February, KAFMO recognizes sports facilities that have been dedicated to providing safe, playable conditions for their users, regardless of the level of play. The 2023 Field of Distinction awards went to East Pennsboro Area School District, John Gross Field and to the Williamsport Crosscutters, Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. We caught up with Cam Richardson, head groundskeeper for the Williamsport Crosscutters, and asked him about the experience. “In the years that I have been working at this facility we have always gotten compliments on the playing surface. It’s always good to hear compliments,” he said, “but recognition by your peers is a great honor!”

MLB STANDARD

Cam has worked for BrightView Landscapes, MLB’s official field consultant, since 2019 after six years of experience in sports turf maintenance in Georgia, Maryland, and New York. He decided to nominate Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field for recognition following major renovations in 2017 and again in 2020, which brought the second-oldest minor league ballpark in the country up to MLB’s exacting field standards. “The fields always have to be pristine and 100 percent perfect. I knew that was the standard here,” Richardson said, “and I am proud to maintain an MLB-standard field.”

Bowman Field first opened in 1926 and underwent $4 million in upgrades under the guidance of BrightView and MLB ahead of the 2017 season: new seating, bullpens, dugouts and a premium deck along the first base line. MLB also committed to the installation of a Major League playing surface and an irrigation and drainage system. A further renovation in the fall of 2020 consisted of stripping the infield and 30 feet into the back arc to improve the grade of the infield skin to a -.4% slope in order to mitigate drainage issues.

CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

From 1926 to 2017 Bowman Field was a native soil field. In 2017 it was rebuilt on 100% sand and resodded, first with All Pro Bluegrass sod and then in 2020 with 365SS Bluegrass. Richardson notes that drainage and irrigation have been some of the facility’s biggest challenges. During the 2017 renovation, new drainage pipe which runs to a collector that is looped around the whole field was installed into the gravel sub-grade. A new irrigation system was installed in the field as well. The field was built with a conventional Rainbird system consisting of 13 zones and new Rainbird PEB valves and a new booster pump were installed in the fall of 2019. There are plans to install a VFD in the Spring of 2023 to help limit water hammer on the valves.

BUSY SEASON

Muncy Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field is a dedicated baseball field that hosts players from the MLB Draft League, college, high school, and softball teams. The MLB Draft League consists of amateur players playing to improve their draft status for the MLB draft for the first half of the season, followed by a second team playing independent baseball. But “our most renowned athletes play on the field during the MLB Little League Classic. Last year we hosted the Red Sox and Orioles!” Richardson says with pride. The MLB Little League Classic in August is the facility’s best-known event. Both MLB and BrightView want to make sure that the Little Leaguers have the best experience possible and that includes having a great field for the players to play on. “The MLB standard is held all year round, but we spend extra time and energy in the weeks leading up to the game to make sure everything is perfect,” says Richardson.

Even though the MLB Little League Classic is the highlight, Bowman Field also hosts many other events throughout the year. The Crosscutter’s season runs from June to September with 40 games as well as practices. Pennsylvania College of Technology’s division III baseball program makes Bowman Field its home for all the home games. and high school games include regular season games and a local 4-team tournament. Bowman Field also hosts 6 PIAA playoff games, including district championships, as well as the first round of state playoff tournament. All in all, Bowman Field played host to 78 events in 2022.

Cam Richardson works at the field year-round. In 2022 during the busy season of March through November, he was supported by Seasonal Assistant Groundskeepers Ben Heemstra (PSU ’25) and Ryan Daub (PSU ’25). It was Ben’s second year working for the team and Ryan’s first year. The seasonal assistants gain valuable hands-on experience with all aspects of turf maintenance. “Fertilizing, aerating, mowing, top-dressing — we do everything we can to help this field perform to the best of its ability,” Richardson said. The experience they gained while interning at Bowman Field helped Heemstra and Daub secure internships with the Phillies and the Eagles for next year.

“IS THAT GRASS FAKE?”

When asked what his proudest moments as groundskeeper at Bowman Field have been, Cam Richardson laughs. “Compliments from the coaches, players, staff, and fans are always appreciated, but I have to say that my favorite thing to hear must be when fans will ask us if the grass is fake. That’s when I know that the field is looking perfect! The second thing is when a visiting team comes into the ballpark, and they look at the field in awe and disbelief. The players will ask me if they can take pictures, and I always tell them yes. Then I yell at them to get off my grass!”