Groundskeepers spread dirt in the bullpen area of the newly renovated Paradise Valley baseball field. They spent the day raking out dirt, painting baselines, installing new bases, refurbishing on-deck circles, hanging up backstop padding, painting a large school logo behind home plate and doing various other tasks to spruce up the field. Photos courtesy of MLB.com

Major League Baseball sports turf managers took time from their conference in Phoenix, AZ to give back to an area high school. The final day of their annual three-day conference has historically been a community day, in which the groundskeepers have partnered with a youth baseball program in the host city on field-renovation projects. This year about 48 groundskeepers, representing 25 MLB clubs, in one day helped renovate the field at Paradise Valley High School.

Coming from all over the U.S. and Canada, the crew rebuilt the pitcher?EUR??,,????'???s mound, bullpen and batter?EUR??,,????'???s box; mowed and edged the turf; dragged the infield; and incorporated field conditioner into the playing surfaces. Grant Trenbeath, sport turf manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, helped connect the MLB groundskeepers with Paradise Valley.

Arizona Diamondbacks head groundskeeper Grant Trenbeath paints the Paradise Valley logo behind homeplate. Trenbeath, who has worked for the D-backs for 11 years, plans to keep in touch with Roy Muller, the head baseball coach at Paradise Valley, and be a resource for on-field maintenance.

?EUR??,,????'??We were happy to renovate a sports field in the Phoenix area,?EUR??,,????'?? says Trenbeath. ?EUR??,,????'??Besides helping the community, it allowed us time for camaraderie ?EUR??,,????'??? to catch up with one another. We sweat elbow-to-elbow, working hard to get a lot done in a single day with a dedicated group.?EUR??,,????'??

The team of major league grounds managers and representatives from Toro, Turface and Covermaster came together to shovel, rake and cut excess turf, giving Paradise Valley?EUR??,,????'???s ball field a major league makeover.

Muller invited Trenbeath out to survey the facilities and ask for his expertise on the how to go about upgrading the field, which he planned to renovate with funds the booster club and players had raised. But the next thing he knew, Trenbeath had helped organize a mass-renovation project with the MLB teams?EUR??,,????'??? groundskeepers coming together to help during the conference weekend.

Roy Muller, teacher and coach at Paradise Valley, said, ?EUR??,,????'??The renovation made the sports field look great and also safer for the kids. But it was really good for the students to see the professionals volunteer their time and energy for a community project. It was also fun for the students to interact with the professionals about their MLB teams and particular sports field venue.?EUR??,,????'??

Source: Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, mlb.com