M Baseball stadium new FieldTurf complete: beautiful

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

The new FieldTurf at Ray Fisher Stadium at the Wilpon Baseball Complex has been completed and painted. It looks pretty nice. Really like the Block Ms.

I also notice the outfield wall padding with retired numbers has been removed. Perhaps they're redoing the designs to (hopefully) include all the championship years and not just put "35 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS" and then the most recent year like it was.

Alumni Field is next. Hope they paint it up nice. Maybe an M in center field.

The new HD video board being tested while the work was being done on the field. Updated logos as well. Very nice.

Alton

December 2nd, 2013 at 7:08 PM ^

There are many top-level NCAA baseball programs with the brown field turf.  It's ugly, but it's perfectly within the rules in the NCAA. 

I think softball has to keep real dirt in the infield, and just installed the field turf in the outfield.

Tagg

December 2nd, 2013 at 7:13 PM ^

All of the field is turf except for the pitchers mound. Quite a few schools do this now like Texas, Vanderbilt and Ohio State. It looks weird and might take some getting used to but it seems to be the way schools are heading. 

 

marat0044

December 2nd, 2013 at 7:52 PM ^

I played in a softball tourney in sitka alaska this year on their new field turf.  It was amazing.

Playing SS, every hop went where I was expecting it to (even when it rained) and when I slid on my belly to catch one, it felt awesome...

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/field-dreams-new-baseball-field-unveiled-southeast-alaska

Now,,, if a MLB team wanted to do it?  no thanks.. real dirt, real grass, real beer please.

Wolverine Devotee

December 2nd, 2013 at 10:48 PM ^

Yes. Around 2015 or 2016. Awhile ago I posted the athletic department budget outline with the projects they're planning.

So far so good. Field Hockey, Softball, are all in progress right now.

Ferry Field, U-M Indoor Track Building & Cliff Keen Arena will be demolished. By 2017, Michigan will have a new "multi-purpose arena" for volleyball, wrestling and men's gymnastics. The new track facilities will be located near U-M Soccer Stadium.

I'm actually pretty sad about Ferry Field going. They're going to turn it into a parking lot. So much history there. I was thinking about going this past summer, digging up a strip of sod and freeze drying it but I just didn't get out there. Going to have to this summer because FF's days are numbered.

 

Wolverine Devotee

December 2nd, 2013 at 6:46 PM ^

Uh, what?

They made it back to the B1G Tournament last year after two awful seasons. And they're on their way back to consistently getting there & being a top B1G team with the job Bakich is doing there.

thethirdcoast

December 2nd, 2013 at 8:17 PM ^

...two main reasons a lot of baseball teams are going to artificial surfaces

1) Money. Over the long-term is is far, far cheaper to maintain an artificial surface than to pay a full-time groundskeeping staff and the costs of maintaining a high-quality sod surface.

2) Flexibility. Because artificial surfaces are much less sensitive to temperature, moisture, etc., they can endure much heavier use cycles. This means that the team can spend a lot more time on the actual field practicing instead of having to find an alternative site or forego practice altogether.

This is Michigan

December 2nd, 2013 at 8:35 PM ^

To your first point, how long is considered long-term? I'm curious if any cost analysis has been determined because as I've always understood it, field turf doesn't necessarily last as long as one might think. The artificial grass (the "blades") tends to split and tangle with wear and tear which can lead to more injuries the more spikes get caught. I've heard that field turf should be replaced every 7 years or so. Maybe with more advanced technology the life time has increased, but I don't think the financial cost is that beneficial.

Michigan Arrogance

December 2nd, 2013 at 8:44 PM ^

I've always been skeptical of this- especially for high school fields where you just have decent grass sod- not the hyper modified genetic pseudo-grass that a pro field would have.

not to mention that field truf requires upkeep as well- there is a regular maintenance routine (vacuum, some kind of chemical application?). it's not exactly the old astro-turf or tartan turf that is basically linoleum flooring on top of concrete. I would imagine metal spikes would leat to more wear & tear than football/soccer cleats.

crhyna01

December 2nd, 2013 at 8:39 PM ^

I think this surface is much more practical considering the joke of a start time that the NCAA starts baseball.  The field will be much easier to keep up and won't be as hard as frozen dirt in the beginning of March.  The NCAA shoudl be ashamed for how they treat northern schools in regards to baseball.  People who think that non BCS schools get screwed in football need to look at northern schools in baseball and softball.