Drillers' Grounds Crew Ready for Opening Day

Originally Published: Apr 1, 2010 4:10 PM CDT

Bobby Lewis
Oklahoma Sports Mobile Journalist

TULSA, Oklahoma – Opening Day for the Tulsa Drillers means it’s opening night for ONEOK Field. The team’s new stadium is nearly completed, with just a few minor last-minute touches left to add to the sparkling new 8,000+ seat venue. Everything seems to be going according to plan.

That wasn’t necessarily the case three weeks prior to the grand-opening game.

“First day of spring we had about eight inches of snow on the field,” said Drillers’ head groundskeeper Gary Shepherd. “So, we weren’t real happy.”

The snow melted and the grounds crew got back to work, prepping the field for future Major League stars. Shepherd and a team of four other field maintenance experts carefully and skillfully groom the grass and clay. They have been mowing the grass every other day prior to the April 8th opener and expect to swing to a daily mowing program once home stands begin.

“Every day is different,” said Shepherd. “You might have a little rain the night beore and that throws a hitch into our daily schedule.

“We’ll edge at the end of this week at the warning track and infield and get that into shape. That’s really about all we have to do in terms of difficult maintenance. The rest is just mowing.”

They mow once a week now, but will kick that routine up to daily tractor trips once the season starts. The field is a blend of ryegrass and Bermuda. The technical term for the cut of grass is Tifsport 419. That particular type of grass was developed by USDA geneticist Dr. Wayne Hanna and a research team at the University of Georgia. It is used around the world in baseball parks and many premier professional golf courses.

The outfield grass is thick enough to hold up to harsh rain, and in Oklahoma’s case, snow, and yet not too sturdy that the baseball is affected as it rolls. The field layout is designed to drain similar to a golf course and should be able to handle the pounding of a 70-game season.

“We might have some areas late in the season, middle of the season we’ll have to repair with new sod being brought in,” said Shepherd.

The team’s new home has some new features for old fans. ONEOK Field features lawn berm seating just beyond the outfield fence. Families can sit in grassy areas above the field in the left and right centerfield gaps. That vantage point is covered with the same surface that the players they’re watching are running on. It’s a nice place to watch a game.

“I love sitting in the outfield,” smiled Shepherd, “so I think the lawn berm is going to be a lot of fun for people.”