Crews from Batavia Turf and DuraEdge have been working diligently at Dwyer Stadium this week (these pictures are from Tuesday) to get the field ready for baseball season.
Local high schools will be able to start playing on the field soon and the Batavia Muckdogs open their season June 18.
Above, a laser on a tripod sends a signal to the grader in the background, which automatically adjusts its blades to level the playing field.
The infield was laser-leveled with the old infield mix and then a DuraEdge professional mix, the same infield mix used by the Miami Marlins, was applied and laser-leveled.
"Mike Robinson and his crew (from DuraEdge) do a lot of professional fields and they know what they’re doing," said Chuck Hoover, with Batavia Turf.
Hoover said the grass in the infield and the outfield was overseeded, fertilized, and top-dressed so it will grow into a smoother playing surface in a couple of weeks.
The lip of the infield was cut down and back about six inches so the lip of the grass is removed. There is a slight incline around the back of the infield. Robinson said it will take more time to repair that than is available before this season.
Hoover said the pitcher's mound, by Major League standards, should be 10 inches higher than home plate. It's just a tad lower. Asked if home plate and the mound were otherwise aligned, Hoover said, "They haven’t gotten to that yet — that’s their game. I’m not sure but we’re going to have to remove the rubber anyway to adjust things."
Once the infield is level, an overcoat will be applied, with a similar material added to the warning tracks.
"It will be a pretty red," Hoover said.
