Team Spotlight: Sports Turf Team
When student-athletes step onto a perfectly groomed baseball, softball, soccer, or football field, most never see the countless hours of specialized work that happen behind the scenes. For the Grounds & Landscape Services Sports Turf Team, creating and maintaining high-performance athletic fields is both a science and an art.
The Sports Turf Team, consisting of Supervisor Matt Drake and Sports Turf Gardeners Justin Clarke, Jorge Romero-Crespo, and Isaac Slaven, supports Intercollegiate Athletics by providing professional-level playing surfaces throughout the year. Despite operating with a lean crew, the team consistently delivers the quality expected of top collegiate athletic programs.
The team's work changes with the seasons. Throughout the year, they manage turf transitions, irrigation systems, aeration programs, field preparation, mowing, and ongoing maintenance for multiple athletic facilities. One of the most complex responsibilities is managing the seasonal transition between ryegrass and Bermuda grass. During the athletic season, athletes compete on either ryegrass or Bermuda grass surfaces, depending on the season, as Bermuda grass thrives during the warmer months before entering dormancy in winter.
To support these efforts, the team recently upgraded field irrigation systems with a sophisticated Baseline irrigation controller. The app-based system provides greater control and flexibility, allowing staff to make real-time adjustments to field conditions. For example, the team can apply a light watering to a soccer field shortly before game time to optimize playing conditions.
Baseball and softball field preparation is particularly demanding. Before each game, staff spend approximately three hours preparing the fields to competition standards. The process includes carefully rebuilding pitching mounds to precise specifications using specialized clay shipped specifically for athletic field construction. Moisture levels in the infield dirt must be carefully managed to create safe, consistent playing conditions.
Field preparation also includes nail dragging and conditioning the infield clay, watering the surface, painting field lines, and making final adjustments after team warmups. Every detail matters.
The team also utilizes advanced turf management practices such as aeration with the Air2G2 machine, a specialized piece of equipment that relieves soil compaction beneath the turf without damaging the playing surface. These techniques help maintain healthy root systems and improve field performance, practices that are more commonly associated with professional sports facilities and golf courses.
One recent success involved the football practice field, where the team worked through challenges establishing the hybrid Latitude Bermuda turf used on both the football practice and soccer fields. By collaborating with athletic staff and adjusting field usage patterns, the team was able to improve turf establishment and create a stronger, healthier playing surface.
Looking ahead, the Sports Turf Team is exploring future turf solutions for soccer fields. As athletic schedules continue to expand, maintaining high-quality playing surfaces year-round presents new challenges, particularly when warm-season grasses enter dormancy during winter months.
The team's commitment to continuous improvement is matched by its dedication to service. With only four staff members currently maintaining numerous athletic facilities, the group consistently demonstrates innovation, efficiency, and a commitment to excellence. The department is currently recruiting an additional Gardening Specialist to help support the growing demands of athletic field maintenance.
Whether preparing a championship baseball field, managing irrigation from a mobile device, or implementing advanced aeration techniques, the Sports Turf Team plays a critical role in supporting the success of UC Davis student-athletes. Their expertise ensures that Aggie athletes have safe, high-quality facilities that allow them to compete at their highest level.
Through skill, precision, and dedication, this small but highly specialized team continues to deliver results that rival programs with far greater resources—one field at a time.