Field conversion

Transforming ONEOK from baseball to soccer and back again

It’s quite the elaborate transformation. Friday night, June 17, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC played to a 2-2 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy II at ONEOK Field, and then, barely 39 hours later, on Sunday, June 19, the Tulsa Drillers took the same field against the Springfield Cardinals, ending in a 5-2 loss.

That left the grounds crew a pretty short window to make the field switchover from soccer to baseball, a process that consists of rolling up the grass covering about three quarters of the baseball infield and some smaller spots in the outfield warning track area. 

Following the Drillers’ eight-game homestand, which ended with an 8-3 loss to Northwest Arkansas on Sunday, June 26, there was a luxurious four-day span in which to re-apply the grass sod in time for the Roughnecks’ next home match on Friday, July 1, against Arizona United SC. 

It’s a transition that has happened about 15 times since the Roughnecks began play in the United Soccer League in March 2015.

“Sometimes there’s a question as to how durable it will be when it’s just put down a day or two ahead of the match,” admitted Gary Shepherd, ONEOK Field’s head groundskeeper. “We always try to do the best we can to try to make sure it’s going to play as safe as it can.”

Each conversion typically takes about 12 hours. 

Going from baseball to soccer, Shepherd and his crew start by scooping the top layer of dirt off the infield.

“If you notice guys sliding [at Drillers games] you’ll see the lighter-colored stuff that doesn’t really look like dirt, it’s a coating, and it’s removing about a quarter- to a half-inch layer of that, as the first step,” Shepherd explains. “We do that ourselves with rakes and shovels and using our utility vehicle. Then we move it off the infield and stockpile it in our storage area.”

Then local company Jonesplan brings in fresh grass from Riverview Sod Ranch in Leonard, Okla., and rolls out roughly 8,000 square feet of sod over the infield dirt and the sections of the warning track.  

“It’s cut a little bit thicker for stability and has a little bit more weight on it than a normal piece of sod,” Shepherd said. “Before the guys roll the sod out, Jonesplan takes some of the dirt material off the edges of the dirt, so the sod will match up to the existing grass, so you’ve got a nice, smooth transition there. 

“Then they lay down the fabric that goes in between the sod and the infield itself. It’s called a geo-textile material, it’s about a four-ounce-per-square-yard, real thin material, but it’s permeable so water can get through but not dirt or sand. We want to keep the dirt from the sod separate from the infield dirt.”

After the Jonesplan folks roll down the sod, Shepherd takes over.

“Sometimes I water the sod in right away,” he said. “I’ll top-dress it with sand to put a little bit more weight on it, to hold it down in place a little bit better and get it some stability to firm up a little bit. And then I might have to mow it sometimes. Sometimes they mow it at the sod farm or sometimes it comes in a little bit taller.”

At this point, Shepherd has to walk a fine line between keeping the new grass moist and healthy without over-watering it, because he doesn’t want to have excess water seeping through the fabric and saturating the infield dirt underneath. 

He also covers up the pitcher’s mound, which lies outside of the soccer playing area, and re-paints all the relevant lines in the field while covering up the baseball lines.

For the changeover back to baseball, Jonesplan comes out again and rolls up the sod and disposes of it –they use new, fresh sod every time. Then Shepherd gets the infield ready for baseball again, returning the top layer of dirt and trying to blend it back in with the existing dirt already there.

“When we put the dirt material back in on the edges, it’s good if I can rototill that back in and then roll it,” Shepherd said. “I’ve got a big one-ton roller, just to make sure that everything gets packed back in where it needs to be, and that the dirt is going to be firm and ready for baseball activity. I think when you take a layer of dirt off and you just put it back on top, you can get a layering effect or where it might chunk out on you.”

This intricate dance doesn’t come without significant cost. 

“I can tell you that it’s in excess of $100,000 a year for us to do that,” reported Mike Melega, team president and general manager for both the Roughnecks and Drillers. “Obviously, it’s a big expense, but that’s important so that we get the soccer pitch as high quality as possible and it’s gone very well for us.”

Despite all of Shepherd’s best efforts, though, players from both resident clubs indicate that the field does suffer as a result of the process. 

The soccer players acknowledge that the grass covering the infield is noticeably different than the rest of the field, although they consider the inconsistent surface conditions part of their home-field advantage.

“When you’re first getting used to it, it’s definitely a little bit thicker, (the ball) bounces different coming off of it, and when it rains or there’s bad weather, it kind of chunks up sometimes,” said Roughnecks goalkeeper Jake Feener, whose goalie area contains some of the infield grass. “I think it’s something that we have to use as a home-field advantage, because it’s something we get to see before, and it is different every single time you’re playing on it.” 

“It’s better than having turf,” added Roughnecks forward Sammy Ochoa. “We’re used to it, so we try not to have it affect us too much. When we train on it, we work on those spots, we try to get the bounce for it. We’re happy just to have grass out there.”

And in baseball, the infield dirt ends up looser than usual (due primarily to the continual removal and replacement of the upper layer of dirt), which can lead to strange bounces on ground balls, while the outfield grass is a little beat up.

“I think that the field shows some wear and tear, especially on the right side of the infield,” acknowledged Drillers first baseman Lars Anderson. “Soccer is a physical sport, they wear cleats and do slide tackles, so it’s going to put a beating on the field in a way that a baseball game wouldn’t.

“The dirt can be a little bit looser, I think, than maybe you’d like it, which can lead to some inconsistencies. There’s a few funny hops. There’s funny hops on all fields, but if the field is being manipulated on a regular basis, that’s something that guys point fingers at. Behind the infield, not a lot of balls go through that area. It’s a little bit chewed up, but it doesn’t affect play too much.”

Ultimately, the playing surface may not be as good as it can be for either sport, but that appears to be the price to pay for both teams playing in a state-of-the-art stadium.

“It’s unbelievable, this facility,” said Roughnecks coach David Irving. “You have to take your hat off to Gary, the groundskeeper. Obviously, (the condition of the grass over the infield) is not the same, but it’s remarkable how they have it down to a science now. All in all, no complaints.”

For more from John, read his article on First Mile.