Baseball field grass to be switched to turf by 2021

Replacement of the baseball field’s grass and infield dirt with turf is set to begin after the baseball season ends this spring, said principal Greg Louie.

After this change, the baseball field will be similar to the softball field, which had its grass replaced by turf four years ago. 

Along with this replacement, the district is looking into possibly laying down conduits to allow for lighting the baseball field and into renovating the dugouts. 

Louie said the district has only approved the design phase of the change so far. His goal is for the design to be finished by the end of this spring’s baseball season — with the design completed, construction would start soon after in hopes of having a new field completed in time for the 2021 baseball season. 

Louie said it will cost the district about $100,000 to hire an architect to come up with a design and specify the total cost for the construction work. The budget for the project is roughly between $2 to $3 million, but the district’s Board of Trustees has not yet approved that amount, he said. 

Once this project is complete, the school will have no more natural grass playing surfaces for any sports. The football field was the first to be turfed, followed by the upperfield and softball field in the past few years.

The decision to renovate the baseball field was made last year by former principal Paul Robinson, athletic director Tim Lugo and the Measure E committee before Louie was a part of the school’s administration.

By changing the field’s grass to turf, Louie said other groups such as soccer teams or P.E. classes could also use the field. Additionally, the all-weather turf would be advantageous for the baseball team if it rained. 

“Since baseball is a spring sport, there often tends to be a lot of rain,” Louie said. “By having an all-weather turf, the baseball team could probably practice more than they had in the past and possibly even play more games because it takes less time for the water to drain out.”

Additionally, field upkeep would lessen dramatically, with no need for cutting grass, fertilizing or battling gophers or other pests.Junior Philbert Fan, who has played for the school’s baseball team since his freshman year, said he likes the idea of the change. 

“I’m excited that we’re getting a new turf field because the dirt field creates a lot of problems for us,” Fan said. “When the rain comes, we have to call off practices for three to four days. The turf just makes everything a lot easier since it’s a better surface to play on.”