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STMA and Minor League Baseball Announce the Winners of...11-06-17 | Association News

STMA and Minor League Baseball Announce the Winners of Annual Award
Four Groundskeepers Selected as Sports Turf Managers of the Year

The Sports Turf Managers Association and minor league baseball have been awarding groundskeepers for 17 years for their achievements.

The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) announced four minor league baseball groundskeepers as the 2017 Sports Turf Managers of the Year.

The winners will be honored on Dec. 11 at the major league Baseball winter meetings Banquet in Orlando, Florida. The STMA and John Deere are sponsoring the awards.

"The high-quality submissions illustrate the individual merits for winners and we're proud to honor their truly fantastic results," said Kim Heck, CAE, CEO of STMA.

Matt Parrott won in the Triple-A division for his work with the Charlotte Knights. Parrott had previously won in 2011 when he was a groundskeeper for the Bowie Baysox, a Double-A division team.

Former Pensacola Blue Wahoos groundskeeper Ray Sayre was recognized in the Double-A division. After serving the Blue Whaoos for seven years, Sayre is now the head groundskeeper for the Philadelphia Phillies at their Carpenter Complex in Florida.

Mike Williams was chosen for his work as a groundskeeper for the Single-A division team, the Charleston RiverDogs. Williams joined the RiverDogs in 2006 and has been a professional groundskeeper for 24 years.

Winning in the Short Season division was Ryan Olszewski, who works as the head groundskeeper and assistant director of stadium operations for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

An awards committee assembled by STMA selected the four winners. The nominees were scored based on their cultural practices, game day routines, staff management and involvement with the sports turf industry.

For 17 years STMA and minor league baseball have paid tribute to groundskeepers with these awards.