MGCCC upgrades baseball, softball fields with artificial turf
PERKINSTON — The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College softball and baseball teams will open their 2023 season on state-of-the-art artificial turf.
The college began converting the playing surfaces at Ross-Smith Field and Ken "Curly" Farris Field last fall. Both teams geared up for the spring season on their new fields earlier this month.
Gulf Coast is now the only college in the state with artificial turf for baseball, football, softball and soccer.
"We feel very blessed as a staff to be the recipients of this support from the administration in the enhancement of this beautiful facility," Bulldogs baseball coach Bob Keller said. "This beautiful FieldTurf is a tribute to the contractors who did an outstanding job in delivering an exceptional product."
It will be the 50th anniversary of the first baseball games played on the current playing surface. The first game was played there in March 1973. Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC President, will throw out the first pitch at the season opener against Nunez Community College at Farris Field on Feb. 3.
Softball, which started slow-pitch play at the current site of Ross-Smith Field in 1980, will open its season on Feb. 21 when Pensacola State visits Perkinston. Dr. Graham will throw out the first pitch at the March 3 doubleheader against Baton Rouge.
The installation of FieldTurf DoublePlay at baseball and FieldTurf TripleThreat Natural at softball includes bullpen and batting cage areas for use by players, as well as other areas in the vicinity of the dugouts. Fans will find turf on the popular seating berms behind the third-base dugouts at each stadium.
Both coaching staffs anticipate tremendous benefits for our players, fans, and programs as a result of the upgrades.
"We can prepare more. We don't have to worry about rainouts," softball coach David Kuhn said. "We'll practice at the same time every day and be able to showcase our campus with camps and clinics. It will help recruiting with such a beautiful, great playing surface. I just think it adds to the many great facilities we have here at Gulf Coast. We just continue to get better and better."
Gulf Coast played its first men's and women's soccer season on a new artificial surface at Bary Thrash Field in 2022. A.L. May Memorial Stadium has had artificial turf since 2009, and it was resurfaced in 2021.
"What we hope that means for our program, is from a daily standpoint, we'll be more efficient with consistent practices," Keller said. "We won't lose practice time because of weather. With the upgrade in facilities, we hope to be able to continue to attract high-level recruits. We know the rest of the state of Mississippi will see that we are committed to putting as fine of product on the field as we can. This is a great place to play."
For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
