What makes Tennessee's new $1.25M turf baseball field unique

The pitcher’s mound features the only dirt that remains on the field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Tennessee baseball team debuted its artificial turf field in fine fashion last weekend, sweeping a three-game series against Appalachian State. The Vols followed up with an 18-0 victory over Northern Kentucky on Tuesday.

Although the new playing surface is a game-changer for the program, what's happening on the dirt is stealing the show so far.

Tennessee’s pitching staff has tossed 36 shutout innings.

“As a pitcher, you get kind of a dream scenario,” Vols coach Tony Vitello said Monday. “You get to pitch on the natural stuff, but your defenders get more of a consistent, true hop that they know what they’re getting defensively.”

The Vols are 4-0 for the first time since winning 12 in a row to start the 2014 season. They will host a three-game series against Indiana (2-1) that begins Friday (4:30 p.m. ET).

What makes this turf field unique

The new field had an immediate impact given the rainy conditions last weekend. Vitello figures if the Vols still had their old surface, their three-game series would have become a Saturday doubleheader of seven-inning contests.

Three games totaling 27 innings would have been reduced to 14 innings.

“Every little bit helps this early in the year,” Vitello said. “We need innings, and we need repetitions.”

The project cost $1.25 million, according to documents obtained by The News Sentinel via a public records request. The project was funded entirely through private fundraising, athletics department spokesman Tom Satkowiak said.

Carolina Green Corp., an athletic field construction company based in Indian Trail, N.C., handled the construction. That company also constructed the football program’s second and third artificial turf practice surfaces at Haslam Field.

Vitello likes the field’s unique construction. Various areas of the field have different compositions that allow them to play in a specific manner.

A lava rock infill on the warning track provides a red tint and allows outfielders to know they’re approaching the wall. The outfield turf plays slower than the infield turf, just like it would on a grass-surface field. The turf for the baselines and batter’s boxes – where there would be dirt on a typical field – includes an olive-core infill mixed with sand for a quicker surface that emulates dirt.

“It kind of mirrors a natural field more than any other artificial surface in the country,” Vitello said. “The umpires at home plate on Sunday, when we exchanged lineups, even mentioned they were kind of awe-struck how close to a natural field it plays.”

How the turf field will benefit Tennessee baseball recruiting

Tennessee joined Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt as SEC teams with artificial turf surfaces. The obvious benefit is the ability to better navigate weather conditions.

The new surface also will provide more opportunities for Tennessee to host camps and tournaments, which can boost recruiting.

“It will allow us to get kids from Knoxville or the surrounding area on our field more often,” Vitello said.

There’s been talk of hosting other events at the field, such as a tailgate during football season or an alumni home-run derby, Vitello said.

“Community, fan base, alumni base, recruiting efforts are all going to be bolstered,” he said. “It’s not just going to be the development of our players.”

Phillip Fulmer frequently has discussed the need to improve the baseball program’s facilities since he was hired as Tennessee’s athletics director in December 2017.

The new field is a step toward that.

“No one will embrace winning more than Tennessee fans, but in order to win, I think we do need to be on a little bit more fair playing field with the rest of the SEC,” Vitello said, “and this was a huge, huge step for us. We’re incredibly thankful. I guess the best way to thank people is to play well on the field.”

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