According to a member of the SUNY Albany team, the problem relates to the water table. The water level in the pond along the left field side is several feet higher than the field itself. In wet conditions, water is coming up from the ground and onto the field. So even when we removed the puddles and raked the area and even with hours of sunshine, the field did not dry out.

This is the second or third time this year that the SUNY field was unplayable when most other fields in the area were ready. Now we know why.

Just want to throw my 2 cents worth in. I do not think the problem of the wet infield at SUNYA is related to a high ground water table. I do suspect the water table is high at the location of the field, but not high enough to affect impede the vertical drainage of surface water and I do not believe ground water is rising to the surface of the field during heavy rains. If the water table was the problem, then all grass areas in the infield, along the sidelines and the outfield would be very soft and also unplayable. I do not recall that the grass areas have been a problem after heavy rains. I think the problem lies with the current cross-slope of the infield dirt area. A very common and good design of a baseball field includes a 1/2 percent slope from the base of the pitchers mound to the inside edge of the dirt infield. At that point, the slope is increased from 1/2 percent to 1 percent from the front edge of the infield dirt to the back edge. This is the only way that water will drain off of the infield dirt. From the back edge of the infield dirt, the slope is normally maintained at 1 percent or is increased to about 1.5 percent out to the outfield fence. In order for an dirt infield to be able to accommodate heavy rains, it is important the 1 percent slope from the front edge to the back edge be consistent and be maintained, without the development of isolated high or low spots. The dirt material used for good basebal infields is typically high in clay and silt content and is basically impermeable to water. This is necessary to get the desired playability and ball bounce. Water drains extremely slowly down through good infield dirt. The drainage on the infield dirt area is accomplished only by evaporation and movement of water by gravity across the slope. Very often, fields are screen-dragged using the same pattern, which creates high and low spots around the infield, which hold water. Water will not drain vertically thru the infield dirt so it will stay there until it evaporates. I believe that we have that condition at SUNYA. Also, the dirt material at that field may be particularly high in clay and silt content, slowing vertical drainage even more, compounding the problem. Pro fields use this kind of extrememly high clay/silt material but they keep it tarped to keep water off it. Many fields at the high school/college level have considerably more sand in the mix but playability and ball bounce suffer. To correct the problem, SUNYA would have to have a survey crew determine the actual slope of the infield dirt area. Once all the high and low spots have been located, a plan could be developed to re-grade the infield. Depending on how far off the grades are, that could result in a pretty extenive project. SUNYA has a 4-phased construction plan to reconstruct their atheltic facilities over the next several years. If you want to see the planned layout graphic, go to the athletics part of the SUNYA web site and click on "PROJECT 2010" along the top of the page. Phase 1 has already been statred. I have heard values of between 50-100 million dollars for this total project, which includes a 15,000 seat football stadium, several synthetic turf fields, a new running track and reconstruction of the baseball field - among other work. I suspect that the University does not want to invest significant funds into the baseball field - knowing that it will be reconstructed or renovated in the next few years. However, in my opinion, being that it is a D-1 program, I think it is worth the effort, for the sake of the University' baseball team, to at least perform the survey to see what the grades are - and make temporary repairs if economically feasible. They may have done this already. For our part, it would be worth it to ask them if they have determined what the problem really is and if they plan to fix it prior to the construction project takes place. If not, maybe we need to reconsider how many games we schedule at that field over the next few years.

Mike Kravitz