Grounds Crew Does Miraculous Job of Getting Diamond Ready for Play
STILLWATER – The temperature had warmed up into the 50s and the sun was shining bright on Sunday. It was a heckuva day to open the home portion of the Oklahoma State baseball season and still new and shiny O’Brate Stadium. The Cowboys swept the doubleheader from defending Horizon League champion Wright State 26-3 and 7-6 in 10 innings. The field looked great and you can thank the Oklahoma State grounds and field superintendent Todd Tribble.
“I knew Saturday was going to be impossible and I really thought Sunday was in jeopardy,” Tribble told me by phone. “Our guys worked hard and did a great job.”
The sun helped a bunch on Saturday because on Friday the field literally looked like it could have hosted the NHL “Winter Classic” that has been held at Fenway Park and Wrigley Field in the past. It helps the way the O’Brate Stadium field was built. No expense was spared.
“This is a major league baseball field in a college setting,” Tribble told O’Colly Television a couple of weeks ago. “We had it built with the same materials and process of any major league field.”
Tribble applauded his team including deputy field superintendent Dalton Deckert, Jon Barnes, Richard Goodyear, Tom Henke, Tyler Kuhn, Brett Shoults, and Lane Zink.
“I was happy with the presentation,” Tribble added. “You could see where some of the color in the outfield was impacted by the ice. You could see where the tarp was to protect the grass, but overall, I thought the field looked good. Almost lost that second one (game) but they scrambled to get the job done.”
Secret about grounds crews, they want to win games just like the players and coaches. It is a team effort and to get two of those games in with Wright State to open the home schedule, the grounds crew did a marvelous job. The hope is that Mother Nature won’t throw them any more curve balls like that sleet/ice storm the rest of the season.