Baseball and softball season has started at Jackie Browning Park, but rainfall in the area has canceled 72 games.
(BRENNAN CRAIN/WCLU NEWS)
GLASGOW — Sifting his hands through field conditioner mix, Maxie Murray explained the struggle county spring leagues have had playing games due to recent waves of rainfall.
County league games were slated to begin at Jackie Browning Park after local schools returned from spring break. But since that time, 72 games over the span of six days have been canceled due to fields being too wet for play.
But a recent purchase is expected to help the problem. It’s called SAF Coat.
“This will make it to where we can play 30 or 40 minutes after a rain,” said Murray, the Barren County Recreation Department’s director.
Jackie Browning Park’s fields are layered with clay and a field conditioner, which helps water drainage. Wet clay adheres to cleats, and influences players’ ability to play. The clay is left to dry when it is treated with the standard conditioner.
The Barren County Parks and Recreation was topping two infield grounds at Jackie Browning Park Wednesday with the SAF Coat aggregate, which will allow rain to be absorbed instead of creating muddy conditions.
SAF Coat is a topdressing material coating containing percolation-promoting materials like sand, clay and silt. The infield aggregate helps water pass from the field’s surface to the ground beneath, which leaves fields dry.
“This will mix with the mud to where SAF Coat won’t. We’ll put enough of it in there that it’ll be the actual field itself,” he said.
Murray asked the Barren Fiscal Court to approve the purchase of 152 tons of SAF Coat, which would cover four fields. The court decided to purchase SAF Coat for the front two fields at Jackie Browning Park.
Fields were being grated and topped with the material Wednesday. Over 80 tons of infield dressing is expected be smoothed over the fields by Thursday afternoon.
While it varies on the amount of rainfall, the product will likely allow teams to resume games within a half hour of rainfall.
“I think the other option will be more cost effective, and the reason for that being is,” Murray said, “We wouldn’t miss games. Therefore, the games that come in that we miss will basically pay for what that material costs.”
