Turf Installation Underway at Wilson Field
12/10/2019 6:17:00 PM | Baseball
DavidsonPhotos.com
DAVIDSON — Installation has begun on a new artificial turf infield at Wilson Field, home of the Davidson baseball team since 1967.
The project will be completed in time for the 2020 season, and the move to an artificial surface fits the trend in college baseball, where seven of the eight teams at the 2019 College World Series have turf on at least a portion of their fields. Eight of Davidson's Atlantic 10 foes have it as well.
"We are incredibly excited about installing this state-of-the-art turf system at Wilson Field," said coach Rucker Taylor. "Our scholar-athlete experience will be enhanced with this addition, and we are thankful to all of those who made this possible."
For Director of Athletics Chris Clunie, it's another step in the right direction for an athletics program that envisions accomplishing more with more resources.
"We want to proactively seek opportunities to improve the student-athlete experience as well as make us better," said Clunie. "And we feel that this new artificial turf does that and more."
The entire infield, including the mound, foul territory and around home plate and the bases, will be artificial turf. The home bullpen will feature the new surface, as well as the mound and plate area of the visiting bullpen.
"The installation of artificial turf will dramatically change the way we approach day-to-day field maintenance as well as the impact of inclement weather on practices and games," said Senior Associate Athletic Director Scott Applegate. "It is a significant step forward for our baseball program."
The outfield, which will remain natural grass, is also undergoing a renovation to assist with drainage.
David Holthouser, Director of Facilities and Engineering, said the early-season wear and tear has put a lot of pressure on the field's Bermuda surface.
"It has been really tough for the health of our field to endure the early play, especially when the season is additionally wet," he said.
The turf being installed by Shaw Sports Turf is called B1K: Batting A Thousand, and Davidson is the first college team to implement this turf system. This past year, the Arizona Diamondbacks installed it, while other pro teams also have plans to utilize it.
"This is thought to be the premier turf system for baseball," said Taylor.
Taylor sees many advantages to having the artificial surface, including not having to tarp the field at all hours of the day, and sometimes after returning from road games.
"It will significantly reduce the amount of time our players are at the field before and after practices and games," he said. "It will reduce the amount of time we spend waiting for the field to dry on both game and practice days, and it will decrease the likelihood of playing doubleheaders and the resulting workloads for our players."
The players are excited about the change as well. Most notably, the lack of needed field maintenance before and after team workouts will free them up to get in more voluntary individual work.
"Those extra reps we'll get as a result are going to be absolutely huge," said senior second baseman Matt Frey. "It'll be hours of extra work per week."
2026 Davidson Baseball Preseason Virtual Event
Friday, January 30
FY26 Baseball Fall Virtual Event (11-06-25)
Wednesday, November 12
Coach Cooke Retirement Video
Wednesday, October 29
2024 Davidson Baseball Alumni Game Will DuBose message
Wednesday, August 14
