University of Cincinnati Baseball Stadium
Project Overview
The University of Cincinnati, known as one of the world’s most-innovative universities, shares the home turf of Cincinnati, Ohio with Motz. The two entities have a long history together and a partnership that has spanned almost a decade. Within that length of time, Motz has worked alongside the University of Cincinnati on four large artificial turf field projects on campus, including two installations and two artificial turf field replacements, as well as the installation and maintenance of the football training camp fields.
This long standing and trusted relationship led the University of Cincinnati to select Motz to upgrade its baseball field — which was the first Motz field installed on campus.
The Situation
After demanding baseball seasons and years of wear and tear, University of Cincinnati’s artificial turf baseball field was in need of a replacement. An upgrade to the facilities would bring the university into the Big 12 conference and take the program’s competitiveness to new heights.
The university wanted to provide a fast and safe surface to its baseball team so playability and performance were the top priorities going into the field replacement project. University of Cincinnati needed a trusted partner to meet its needs and provide a quality, safe field to be utilized for the next several years, and Motz was the perfect partner.
The Play
After many successful artificial turf field projects, and a history of quality maintenance and customer service, Motz began work on a replacement synthetic turf baseball field for the Bearcats.
For the University of Cincinnati, playability and performance were key in the development of their new artificial turf baseball field. The Motz team worked on a more engineered solution to provide a specific baseball experience on the turf’s surface.
Motz combined its professional expertise with its customer-centric approach to construct an innovative new field for the University of Cincinnati. In the pre-construction phase, Motz conducted a 3D laser scan of the field to evaluate drainage. The Motz team fixed drainage issues, cleaned out the pipe collector, coordinated fence work, worked alongside the new indoor space being built, and coordinated with other campus work while maintaining safety and logistics throughout the project.
The new field replacement boasts two infill products from Motz. The warning track is made up of Safeshell, a natural synthetic turf infill, and the infield uses Safeshell SmoothPlay, the same natural infill product, both designed specifically for athletic performance. SmoothPlay synthetic turf infill settles easily into dense turf systems, creating a surface that mimics natural field play and provides a long-lasting playing surface that can withstand heavy use with minimal breakdown. Additionally, this synthetic turf infill is designed with a smaller granule size, resulting in a less abrasive surface. Abrasion in SmoothPlay is reduced by up to 42% compared to traditional crumb rubber and sand systems.
The Bearcats’ field is the first Division 1 installation of Safeshell and Safeshell SmoothPlay.
When our program was preparing for its transition to the Big 12 Conference, we tapped our synthetic turf partner, The Motz Group, to help us upgrade our baseball field. They carefully listened to our needs and collaborated with Shaw Sports Turf to come up with a game plan for a field system that includes portions that are uniquely tuned for the exact type of play the coach desires. This includes using Safeshell in the warning track, SmoothPlay in the infield and rubber/sand combination in the grass areas. The result is a field that served as a terrific platform to our first winning season in the Big12.
The Win
QUALITY PERFORMANCE:
Motz utilized its years of experience and strategic methodology to create a new synthetic turf baseball field for the University of Cincinnati. The new field is customized to meet the performance and playability qualities that the university was looking for. Motz considered the best possible solution for playability and ball roll for the new artificial turf baseball field, as well as durability and safety factors. Because of the industry experience and quality service delivered by Motz, the University of Cincinnati now has a beautiful new synthetic turf baseball field to give them a leg up in the competition of the Big 12 conference.
TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP:
Over the past 10 years, Motz and the University of Cincinnati have continued to grow and strengthen their partnership. The University of Cincinnati chose Motz for its expertise, dependable service, and trustworthiness. Over and over again, Motz has proved its loyalty and service dependability through maintenance services, replacements, and installations, with this new baseball field proving to be another win for Motz and the University of Cincinnati.
Ready to Get Started?
Interested in starting a project? Have questions about our process and products? Wherever you are in planning your dream field, we’re ready to walk through your specific needs, answer any questions you have, and talk through how our team of experts will be there to guide you every step of the way.
