New Infield at Bridgeforth

WINCHESTER, Va. - Bridgeforth Field, the home of the Shenandoah University baseball team, has received a major makeover recently in renovations undertaken by the City of Winchester.

SU, which has played at Bridgeforth since re-starting its baseball program in 1988, will have a completely new infield to play on this spring at the 30-year old facility.

Soon after the Hornets completed their non-traditional segment at the end of October, preparations began to plow under, re-grade and laser-level the existing infield.

Following that work, additional fill was brought in to bring the infield to the proper height and repairs made to the irrigation system before the infield dirt mix was installed.

This past week, sod was brought in and laid to reconstruct the infield. With the on-set of colder weather, turf blankets are being employed in order to help the Kentucky Blue Grass mix take root into the soil.

The infield renovation is part of a larger project in which the press box at Bridgeforth received a facelift and additional work was done to the backstop and perimeter fencing.

"I really want to thank the City and its Parks Department for its hard work on this project," head coach Kevin Anderson said. "This is a major improvement for us and our players couldn't be more excited about playing on the new surface."

Shenandoah, which finished as the No. 6 team in the nation last spring after winning the South Region Championship, opens its 2010 season on February 13 with a pair of games in Richmond as part of the first-ever USA South/ODAC Challenge. The home slate begins February 20 when Misericordia (Pa.) visits for a non-league doubleheader.

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