Synthetic Turf Baseball Fields | Science Behind Turf | Sporturf

Science of Baseball

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SCIENCE OF BASEBALL

Why Sporturf™

When it comes to baseball, Sporturf™ understands the demands athletes, owners and fans expect. Our fields provide a consistent surface that you can count on to deliver the best experience available. We have an offering that spans all levels of play from Pro to the local little league field. The quality turf we manufacture utilizes the latest technology. Features like natural turf resemblance, ball bounce, speed of the ball roll and rotational resistance are all advancements that are addressed in our product designs.

Making sure your selection process is made easy, Sporturf™ offers a consultation at our factory to help you determine what surface makes the most sense for you and your team. Deciding on the right field has long term implications. We are confident selecting the suitable surface solution will prove to be an enjoyable, winning experience at Sporturf™. We are continuously improving on technologies and take the process of education very seriously. Let us be part of your process today.

Shield-3

SCIENCE OF BASEBALL

Why Sporturf™

When it comes to baseball, Sporturf™ understands the demands athletes, owners and fans expect. Our fields provide a consistent surface that you can count on to deliver the best experience available. We have an offering that spans all levels of play from Pro to the local little league field. The quality turf we manufacture utilizes the latest technology. Features like natural turf resemblance, ball bounce, speed of the ball roll and rotational resistance are all advancements that are addressed in our product designs.

Making sure your selection process is made easy, Sporturf™ offers a consultation at our factory to help you determine what surface makes the most sense for you and your team. Deciding on the right field has long term implications. We are confident selecting the suitable surface solution will prove to be an enjoyable, winning experience at Sporturf™. We are continuously improving on technologies and take the process of education very seriously. Let us be part of your process today.

3rd Party Testing

Today’s infilled artificial turf systems require a blend and distribution of infill materials. Inconsistencies in either the blending, or the distribution can result in significant performance variations, and sometimes in a performance that fails to meet safety standards and guidelines. Third-party testing of new installations is the best way to verify that the entire field performs appropriately and protects the athlete. Our system is the only sports-lab tested system in the industry. It is crucial to utilize a service that can demonstrate proven traceability with turf. Reliable measurements are standard with trained, audited and well-equipped technicians.

What is being tested?

PACE

Pace

Pace determines how a baseball interacts with the surface. It shows how fast or slow the ball is traveling through the surface once on the ground.

BOUNCE

Bounce

Ball bounce determines how high the balls bounce off of the synthetic turf and is captured with a high-speed camera.

COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION

Coefficient of Friction

COF measures how the ball impacting the surface will impart topspin. Balls exiting with high topspin will move downward faster so they will not travel as far as balls exiting with low topspin.

COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION

Coefficient of Restitution

COR determines how the ball interacts with the surface after impact. It is the amount of energy absorbed by the surface, thus slowing the ball down.
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The four main categories we focus on are pace, bounce, coefficient of friction (COF) and coefficient of restitution (COR). Independent lab results show we are incredibly close to high-grade natural grass. The Pace and Bounce result of our turf resembles 97% accuracy in mimicking natural grass. COR and COF are 93% and 91% accurate, respectively.

“The turf has been a great asset in recruiting as it adds so much value to both our softball and baseball facilities on campus. However, the biggest benefit shows up in player development. The versatility of the field has led to more efficient and limitless training. Getting better is the most important part of any program and Sporturf allows us to do that at much higher level.”

Cameron Whicker
Assistant Athletic Director
Lincoln Memorial University

Our Scientific Design

SPORTURF™ has designed a system with sand stacked on top of rubber to allow our turf to mimic sod and its natural impact on physics.

SPORTURF™ • SAND STACKED ON TOP OF
RUBBER TO MIMIC SOD

COMPETITION’S SAND-RUBBER MIX
THAT CAN INCREASE UNPREDICTABILITY BY 10%

When it comes to having a turf field in baseball, having a sod-like turf can be the difference between a win or loss. Our infill technique enables the Coefficient of Friction, Coefficient of Restitution, Pace and Bounce to feel like the natural ground that athletes are accustomed to. We combine the industry’s highest quality components to provide the highest performing system. When physics comes into play, our turf can keep up… so your team can play the game and not the field.

Our LAB Tested Products

SPORTURF™ POWERHOUSE

PowerHouse is one of our most advanced system designs that provides high resilience and increased comfort and safety in the most common sports applications. The fiber is designed to withstand all the rigors of wear and tear for many years.

SPORTURF™ FIELDER’S CHOICE

Fielder’s Choice provides excellent ball roll, ball bounce, wear-resistance and slide comfort. This system is specifically designed for baseball. Rest assured the system will perform to the highest expectations.

LAB Testing & Results

Since the game of baseball is traditionally played on natural grass surfaces, the most representative synthetic turf will have baseball rebound properties that mimic natural grass as closely as possible. Surfaces that cause the ball’s bounce to be different from the bounce on natural grass could cause the baseball player to misplay a hit ball. Ideally, the surface should not change the play of the game. Below are the final results we received by our 3rd Party Laboratory. The four tested surfaces were Natural Sod, Sporturf™ Fielder’s Choice, Sporturf™ PowerHouse and our competitor’s turf.

PACE

Pace

Pace determines how a baseball interacts with the surface. It shows how fast or slow the ball is traveling through the surface once on the ground.

BOUNCE

Bounce

Ball bounce determines how high the balls bounce off of the synthetic turf and is captured with a high-speed camera.

COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION

Coefficient of Friction

COF measures how the ball impacting the surface will impart topspin. Balls exiting with high topspin will move downward faster so they will not travel as far as balls exiting with low topspin.

COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION

Coefficient of Restitution

COR determines how the ball interacts with the surface after impact. It is the amount of energy absorbed by the surface, thus slowing the ball down.
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“I have four turf fields, two of them are by different companies and they’re falling apart. You can just tell, [Sporturf] did a better job. It’s a better product, and our athletes love it.”

Micah Sepko
Sporturf Dealer and Former University Athletic Director

Our Quality

Our systems are designed to provide high resilience, increased comfort and safety all while performing at the highest level. The fibers are designed to withstand all the rigors of wear and tear from athletes and last for many years. Safety and performance standards continue to be our focus in product development.

30 Years of Knowledge

• ArmorLoc™ 3L
• SilverBack™
• EcoCell™
• XP Blade+

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