Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The Sweet Home High School softball field received a $10,000 makeover this summer after the coach’s request for a donation ignited a chain reaction.
“Late in the summer, I asked Steve Mauch, who works for Ankmar, if they could donate a little bit of money to help renovate the softball field,” softball Coach Steve Hummer said. “As it turns out, that conversation started a real chain reaction that has allowed us to get a new infield, new fencing along the infield and a sprinkler system in the infield all at little or no cost to the School District.”
It turned out that Ankmar is owned by a company called Profile, which makes a product called Turface, which is used by 26 of the 30 major league baseball teams.
Turface is a sandy substance that soaks up water, Hummer said. Every pound of it can soak up a gallon of water. Two tons were placed on the softball infield during the summer. Another ton will be added later.
“The people at Profile were very receptive to helping us out and volunteered to donate three tons of Turface for our softball field and put us in contact with a field consultant,” Hummer said.
The consultant, Mike Hebrard of Athletic Field Design, “is a field guru,” Hummer said. Hebrard paints designs on fields all over Oregon, has helped the Salem Volcanoes, is in charge of the Alpenrose Dairy Field that hosts the Softball Little League World Series and was in charge of Oregon State University’s baseball field last year when OSU hosted the NCAA super regionals on their way to the national title.
“Mike came down to Sweet Home about a month ago and took a look at our field,” Hummer said. “Mike told us to get some infield dirt called Astoria sandstone and work it into the field and gave us some directions about leveling the field.
“I grinned that day as Mike drove off to Corvallis on his way to meet with Coach Pat Casey, the head coach of the national champions. How humbling it was for me to realize he fit us into his day before meeting the national baseball Coach of the Year.”
Hebrard used a tractor to level the field. A laser level guides the tractor as it moves around the field. The pitcher’s rubber and plate area have had a problems with puddles of water. Now they are level, and the mound is actually three inches higher than the rest of the field to allow water to run off of it.
It was going to cost about $1,200 to get the sandstone the infield needed, Hummer said. “I knew I didn’t have that kind of money, and I was not really very excited about paying that much for dirt.”
He asked if he could cut the cost if he hauled it himself, he said, but he had no way to haul 25 yards of dirt. He asked Jim Cota to help out, and Cota volunteered to drive a Melcher Logging dump truck to Astoria. The dirt cost $237.50, meaning Cota and Melcher Logging saved the program nearly $1,000.
In October, Todd Marchbanks, Mike Gregory, Hummer’s father and Hummer spread the dirt with Dave Thireault’s tractor. They also used a trencher to install a sprinkler system on the edge of the infield to keep dust down in late spring.
Hummer asked Athletic Director Larry Johnson how he could get Turface shipped from Portland to Sweet Home, Hummer said. Johnson picked up the phone and called his daughter-in-law, who owns a company called Oasis with Johnson’s son. The company installs and rents fencing. Heather Johnson volunteered to send a driver to Portland for the Turface.
The estimated value of the project is about $10,000, Hummer said. The cost to the district and softball team was nothing. The costs the softball team or district might have incurred were offset by the donations of several timber companies, including Shane Cochran, Pat and Ival McCollum and numerous others.
“Civic duty lives strong in Sweet Home, and I am proud to live here, teach here and coach here,” Hummer said. “Thank you Sweet Home for being so kind to your kids.”
Hummer also is looking forward to next summer and raising summer softball to a new level.
He is working with parents and coaches on a more organized summer softball season.
He wants summer ball to mean “more games for kids in a more organized setting,” he said. Right now, summer softball includes two American Softball Association teams, but neither is connected to the other.
There is no reason for teams to duplicate equipment purchases, and he thinks it could be more efficient if organized. He wants to see teams for at least 12 and under, 14 and under and 16 and under age groups set up for next summer.
Working as a single program, it will help all coaches to get on the same page and provide continuity as girls grow up through the programs.
“The exciting part of this story for me is not just the softball field,” Hummer said. “I grew up in Sweet Home, played sports, lived and watched as adults always took care of their kids in this community.
“This project happened simply because I asked and numerous people in this community said if it is for the benefit of kids count us in.
“I want to personally thank Steve Mauch, Jim Cota, Profile, Mike Hebrard, Todd Marchbanks, Mike Gregory, Don Hummer, Scott and Heather Swanson, Melcher Logging and Larry Johnson for doing everything they could to make this field project happen.”