|
Title: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: Black Diamond Vol on March 10, 2019, 08:16:10 EDT Tell me about this new artificial surface at LNS. I get that the "grass" is artificial. But what is the infield "dirt"? Is it made of the same material as the grass, just colored brown? Players are sliding headfirst in that stuff and coming up with clean uniforms, so it's clearly not real. The pitcher's mound looks legit, anyway. :confused:
Very promising start for the team, even though they really haven't played anyone yet. Hopefully they can at least be competitive in SEC play this year. :powert: Title: Re: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: droner on March 10, 2019, 08:37:27 EDT All I can find is this: http://www.utdailybeacon.com/sports/baseball/tennessee-baseball-set-to-open-season-on-new-turf-field/article_41765754-2feb-11e9-882b-4f6305479819.html (http://www.utdailybeacon.com/sports/baseball/tennessee-baseball-set-to-open-season-on-new-turf-field/article_41765754-2feb-11e9-882b-4f6305479819.html)
The pitcher's mound is dirt but that's the only part of the infield that is. I can't find anything that says what the infield is made of. Title: Re: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: Tnphil on March 10, 2019, 09:52:37 EDT Seems Vandy got that field a couple of years ago. First time I saw it I thought what the crap?
Title: Re: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: Tnphil on March 10, 2019, 11:44:32 EDT Baseball Vols went into today 15-0.....Lost the series final to Fresno State 10-7.
Title: Re: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: HerbTarlekVol on March 11, 2019, 06:55:41 EDT As Droner said, all of the field it turf except for the pitchers mound. It's the same turf on the "skinned" part of the infield and on the warning track, just a different color to make it look like a real baseball field.
In some places, Vandy and UofL included, the pitcher's mound is even turf. And there isn't a "real" home plate on the new turf fields. The plate is turf, as well. A lot of the local high schools haveeven gone to turf around the plate area. I'm not a big fan of turf for baseball, but I understand why they have gone that direction. With college baseball starting in January and going through the traditional rainy part of the year here, it's necessary. UT doesn't have a seperate practice area, so they have to use the stadium for everything. Plus it's giving them the opportunity to host more high school tourneys and fall and summer showcase events that are such a big part of recruiting now. Bottom line - Vitello has them playing hard and looking like an SEC team for the first time in a decade. He wanted the turf, and as long as the program improves then so be it. Title: Re: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: Tnphil on March 11, 2019, 11:33:47 EDT This is the company that installed it:
http://www.cgcfields.com/ Title: Re: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: Black Diamond Vol on March 12, 2019, 01:40:56 EDT As Droner said, all of the field it turf except for the pitchers mound. It's the same turf on the "skinned" part of the infield and on the warning track, just a different color to make it look like a real baseball field. In some places, Vandy and UofL included, the pitcher's mound is even turf. And there isn't a "real" home plate on the new turf fields. The plate is turf, as well. A lot of the local high schools haveeven gone to turf around the plate area. I'm not a big fan of turf for baseball, but I understand why they have gone that direction. With college baseball starting in January and going through the traditional rainy part of the year here, it's necessary. UT doesn't have a seperate practice area, so they have to use the stadium for everything. Plus it's giving them the opportunity to host more high school tourneys and fall and summer showcase events that are such a big part of recruiting now. Bottom line - Vitello has them playing hard and looking like an SEC team for the first time in a decade. He wanted the turf, and as long as the program improves then so be it. Interesting. I thought it would a least be "simulated" dirt, like the rubber pellets they use with artificial surfaces in football. Seems like sliding and pitching especially would be very different on a "grass" surface. Title: Re: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: HerbTarlekVol on March 12, 2019, 05:26:54 EDT Interesting. I thought it would a least be "simulated" dirt, like the rubber pellets they use with artificial surfaces in football. Seems like sliding and pitching especially would be very different on a "grass" surface. To clarify, the mound at UT is dirt. But that's the only place on the field that is dirt. Some schools with turf, Vandy and UofL being two, even have turf on the pitchers mound. Title: Re: Herb or anyone who follows the baseball team closely Post by: HerbTarlekVol on March 12, 2019, 05:30:23 EDT And I am still hearing, by the way, that Randy Boyd is going to build a stadium in the Old City and bring back the Smokies and put one of his Appy Rookie League franchises that he owns in Smokies Park. And I am hearing that UT will play some games, possibly their SEC games, as the new Old City park. It would allow UT to generate more revenue because they could sell alcohol there.
And UT and the Smokies wouldn't overlap much. The Smokies don't begin their season until around the second week of April, so UT and the Smokies could coordinate their schedules pretty easily. |