McNair Field, the home of the Forest City Owls, was named the best baseball field in the country in the category of Schools and Parks by the Sports Turf Management Association.McNair Field, the home of the Forest City Owls (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League), was named the best baseball field in the country in the category of Schools and Parks by the Sports Turf Management Association. The STMA is a non-profit professional organization of groundskeepers. McNair Field was one of 14 category winners.
McNair Field joins Lambeau Field in Green Bay WI, Community American Ballpark in Kansas City, KS, and War Memorial Stadium in Union City, TN as a winner in 2009. The best baseball field in the category of Professional and College was given to Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks (Class AA; Texas League) in Corpus Christi.
The STMA uses a six judge panel to score the entry based on playability, appearance, innovations, effective use of budget, and the sound use of an agronomic program.
“The Field of the Year Award validates the intense dedication of our members,” said Kim Heck, CEO of the STMA. “Each year STMA awards no more than 14 fields, so a very small percentage of our members are winners. Brian (Blanton) and his crew are very deserving of this prestigious award for McNair Field.”
McNair Field is a division of the Town of Forest City Parks and Recreation Department. Jody Wright is the Director of Parks and Recreation and Brian Blanton is the head groundskeeper at McNair Field. Matthew Gowan, Travis Keever, and Tim Blanton work with Blanton to maintain the playing surface.
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