BYU‘s baseball program is receiving a major change at Larry H. Miller Field, where a new playing surface is being installed.
Beginning this month, BYU is working to remove it natural grass playing surface. In its place, the school plans to install a new artificial turf that will encompass the entire playing field, and will be equipped with a heating system that is installed below the field.
By making the change to a new turf playing surface, BYU is hoping to see a few advantages. The combination of the artificial turf surface and the heating system should make the field more usable in the cold-weather months for games and practices. It should also make for a very playable surface, according to head coach Mike Littlewood. More from Desert News:
“Left field (at Miller Field) is five feet higher than home plate. That was because of the irrigation drainage, the way they had to do it back then,” Littlewood said. “We’ll see a flat infield and a one percent grade on the whole thing. When people see it they’re going to think it’s a natural grass field. It’s going to look just like natural grass. It will be pretty amazing. It’s going to be big league.
“This particular turf comes in different heights. We want the dirt area to play like dirt and the grass area to play like grass,” Littlewood continued. “We’re going to try to make it like a natural grass field. The dirt is going to be faster than the infield grass but the infield grass is going to be faster than the outfield grass. The mound is going to be turf, the plate’s going to be turf. The only dirt on this field is going to be in one of the three bullpens.”
The installation of the new field is scheduled to be completed by September.