Historic Yale Field Upgrades to First-Ever Artificial Surface
Yale University’s baseball park, Yale Field, received a major upgrade with the installation of a new synthetic surface from FieldTurf.
The new surface, FieldTurf DoublePlay, will provide a boost to the Bulldogs’ program, allowing the team to play more games at home and practice more often, says Yale Baseball Coach John Stuper.
“Many people think [the upgrade] is about snow. You can plow the turf and then use the field and play a game," he said. “For me, it’s more about rain. It could rain from 8 a.m. till 2 p.m. and at 3 p.m. you’re having practice like nothing ever happened. Practices and games will almost never get rained out. That means more games, more at bats, more innings pitched, more reps in practice. And that is how players develop. I am thrilled beyond words.”
FieldTurf DoublePlay is one of the fastest artificial surfaces in the industry. The synthetic fibers create a fast infield, which allows the ball to maintain speed after hitting the ground.
The new turf replaced the clay and grass surface that previously composed Yale Field, a move that Coach Stuper says will benefit his players.
“I’m as ‘old school’ as anyone in regards to grass," he said. “But this simply improves the experience of our players and affects their development in a very positive way.”
The FieldTurf DoublePlay system combines the beneficial biomechanical properties of natural grass, with the best attributes of a durable synthetic system — all weather playability, low maintenance, safety and high performance.
With over 40 game fields currently in use at the NCAA D-1 level for baseball, the Bulldogs join an impressive list of baseball teams that play and/or practice on FieldTurf DoublePlay such as Oregon State University, Rutgers University, University of Illinois, University of Louisville and the University of Oregon, to name a few. Ivy League rival, Brown University, also recently upgraded their grass surface to FieldTurf last season. The Bulldogs and Bears will faceoff March 30th at Yale Field.