By Dannielle Lowe
Monday marked the beginning of a major transformation for the baseball program.
After 40 years, the Joe Etzel Baseball Infield will finally receive a complete renovation. The infield will be leveled, providing the baseball team with a smoother playing space.
"Any time there are improvements being made, it's exciting," said junior first baseman Chase Powell. "The infield will be more level and it's getting new dirt as well, which will help it out."
Bernhardt Golf DIV of Beaverton, the same company that did the engineering for the practice soccer field, will be performing the leveling. According to Head Baseball Coach Chris Sperry, the whole process should only take two weeks.
The leveling will include ripping up the previous infield, completely flattening the infield and bringing in a better mixture of infield dirt. All of these steps will assist in providing a more predictable playing surface.
The baseball players welcome the new infield.
"We're definitely excited. First, because it will look better," said Charlie Herche, a red shirt sophomore and infielder. "And second, it will play better as well."
Monumental repair to the Joe Etzel Field hasn't occurred since 1996, when the university increased the stadium seating capacity by 300 seats.
From the outfield third base line, the drastic unevenness becomes apparent. For the most part, the entire infield sat elevated sloping awkwardly downward. The transitions between grass and dirt were drastically different, leaving inconvenient lips and edges.
"It was a safety and playability hazard," said Sperry, extending his arm out toward the field to illustrate visually the changes being made. "We're going to smooth out the transitions giving the field more predictable hops."
Leveling the field brings the field out of the past and up to date.
"It's the first time since the field was built that the infield's been completely leveled so it provides for a smooth playing surface," said Associate Athletic Director Buzz Stroud.
UP first constructed the original field 40 years ago when the field relocated from its previous location next to Howard Hall. The university added the stadium structure in 1988. Smaller repairs and several name changes have occurred since then. In 1996, the stadium was expanded, in 2004 the name was changed from Pilot Stadium to Joe Etzel field, and the Andy Pienovi Hitting Facility was added in 2005. No actual changes have ever been made to the original infield.
Joe Etzel Field has always needed infield leveling. However, several issues such as cost, funding and time prevented the update from occurring sooner.
"They've been looking at the idea for some time now," Stroud said. "The timing and fundraising finally came together."
According to Sperry, the program has been accumulating the necessary funds over the past few years to foot the $25,000 cost. Different fundraisers such as dinners and baseball camps have made the infield leveling possible.
Although the field will be ready for the regular season, the changes interrupted the fall ball season. All through the fall, the athletes normally practice and scrimmage using the time to get used to playing with one another. Sperry thought the project was important enough to move things around and use alternative practice resources.
During the renovation, the team will utilize the Andy Pienovi Hitting Facility. The complex holds five batting cages, three pitching mounds, and a 50 foot by 120 foot space for defensive training. The facility offers players a more than adequate practice space in the interim.
In spite of the interruption, the team appears to be shaping up well. There's a good mix of talented high school players and transfers coming into the program. Last season, the Pilots closed out the season with a 7-14 conference record and a 21-30 overall record. Despite a seventh-place finish in league, the 2007 season was the highest overall win total since 2002.
The combination of new talent and a new infield should make for an interesting season come spring. The baseball players eagerly anticipate the chance to play on the new infield.
"I'm excited to play on a fresh new surface," said Peter Beringhaus, a red shirt junior and right handed pitcher. "It'll help out the infield as well as our outfield."
