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2011

2010

2009

April 2011

25

DURAEDGE MIX GIVES BEES A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD

SALT LAKE CITY—Salt Lake Bees pitcher Amalio Diaz smiled thinly as he gazed at the finely manicured infield of Spring Mobile Ballpark.

"It's fast," he said.

11

PLAYERS RAVE OVER DURAEDGE INFIELD AT FENWAY PARK

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa.—Reporters and bloggers from notable media outlets, such as the Boston Globe and ESPN, fielded praise from players about the newly renovated Fenway Park infield at Saturday’s media preview.

Once notorious for its inconsistencies and negative player commentary, Fenway’s infield was the star of media day.  Red Sox players raved about the consistency of the DuraEdge surface, noting the absence of unpredictable ball hops that plagued the former infield.  (Click here for links to the articles).

Red Sox head groundskeeper Dave Mellor collaborated with Natural Sand Co. and its Boston distributor Read Custom Soils in October 2010 to find a solution for the famous ballpark’s infamous infield.

Soil testing revealed the weaknesses of the prior infield mix to be a result of harvested material and the breakdown of calcined clay used for moisture management.  Faced with the choice of amendment or renovation of the infield skin, Mellor opted to remove the poor-performing material and replace it with a custom blend of DuraEdge Pro. 

As Mellor explained to reporters, DuraEdge Pro is an engineered soil that relies on soil science to formulate infield mix that performs optimally based upon the facility’s maintenance resources. 

The Red Sox were one of six Major League teams to start the season with a new infield—and all were amended or renovated with products from Natural Sand Co.  Twelve MLB teams are currently clients of Natural Sand Co. and its distributor network, however, professional baseball is just a small part of the company’s client base.

Natural Sand Co. produces infield material for all levels of play in baseball and softball, and each material is engineered to increase the safety and playability of infield surfaces.

For over 10 years, Natural Sand Company has supplied expertly formulated soil mixes to the athletic field industry. Based in Slippery Rock, Pa., Natural Sand Company provides quality materials for projects ranging from professional league baseball fields to local parks.  Visit Natural Sand online at: www.naturalsand.com.

11

IM"PRESS"IVE MENTIONS OF DURAEDGE AT FENWAY

Boston Globe: “Red Sox Notebook: Calhoun Goes the Distance”

Inside dirt The new infield at Fenway Park received wide approval from players on both teams. After years of having one of the worst surfaces in baseball, the Sox may have one of the best now. MORE

ESPN - Boston: "Players Thrilled with Improved Infield at Fenway”

It was considered one of the worst and most inconsistent infields in the majors, so the Red Sox replaced it before this season, and the initial feedback has been positive. MORE

Boston Herald: “Sox Pleased with New Field”

Long notorious as being one of the toughest infields in the game, the dirt around the bases received a subtle facelift that is already drawing rave reviews. MORE

The Providence Journal: “Red Sox Journal: Fenway Park Was Just What Pedroia Needed”

Amid all the changes the Red Sox made in the off-season, the most fundamental was to their infield. Not the quartet of players who play the infield, but rather the infield itself. MORE

WEEI Sports Radio Network: “The dirt on the new Red Sox infield at Fenway Park”

From Eric Chavez calling it the “worst he ever played on” years ago when he played with Oakland to Dustin Pedroia ripping it last year for its inconsistencies, the infield on Yawkey Way has been notorious among major league infielders for decades.

But all of that has hopefully changed this year as the infield is brand new. MORE

MassLive.com: “Here's the Dirt on Fenway Park's Infield Turf: It's Much Better”

A newly sodded infield has the Boston Red Sox feeling better about getting down and dirty. MORE

March 2011

4

NEW YORK TIMES TAKES NOTE OF NATURAL SAND

New York Times reporter David Waldstein called the office Thursday looking for the dirt on the Mets' newly amended infield in Florida.

Read Waldstein's article - and see what players had to say - about the FieldSaver project here (link opens in new window).

1

PENN STATE ABINGTON READY TO PLAY BALL

Check out the video from Penn State Abington showing off their newly renovated DuraEdge field!

April 2010

22

NYPD TEAM SCORES BIG WITH DURAEDGE AND A DOCUMENTARY

BROOKLYN, N.Y.— Larceny is an unusual aim for officers, but New York's finest hope to steal a few bases in the baseball club's Saturday home opener.

The 45 NYPD officers of New York’s Finest Baseball Club (NYFBC) will face off at 10 a.m. against Latin Flavor at the newly renovated Floyd Bennett Field. 

The Finest’s home game is the first this year after travelling to take on the Los Angeles Police Department in early April.  New Yorkers can boast about the team’s 3-1 series victory over the LAPD.

Every year New York’s Finest compete in 80 to 90 games against a variety of independent, police and fire department baseball teams across the country.   Additionally, the team will host visiting London Metropolitan Police officers participating in an annual research charity race in Central Park.

2010 marks the 16th anniversary for the baseball non-profit whose mission is “to promote good will, to protect and to play ball.”

The unique blend of sportsmanship and service attracted the attention of a documentary filmmaker who has followed New York’s Finest this season.

 “John Fitzgerald approached us about creating a film that explored the history of the team and the transformation on the field from officers patrolling the street to boys playing baseball” said NYFBC general manager Eric Sorenson.

Most recently, the filmmaker caught up with members of the Finest in March as they renovated Floyd Bennett Field.

The team raised $5,000 to purchase DuraEdge, the same infield mix used by major league teams including the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. 

“Our field had issues with poor moisture retention and excess sand,” Sorenson said.  “We are really pleased to see that such a small addition gave us 100 percent improvement from the old surface.”

Sorenson hopes for the same success with the documentary.

“We’ll be selling the documentary later this year along with other merchandise on our website,” Sorenson said.  “Every penny we raise is used to help keep the team playing ball and supporting causes like the New York City Police Children and Widow’s Fund, American Cancer Society and the March of Dimes.”

“It’s about enjoying the sport we love and helping others however we can,” Sorenson said.

See the team’s schedule and merchandise at: www.nyfinestbaseball.com.

Get more information about DuraEdge infield mix at: www.duraedge.us.

July 2009

11

GIANTS "PITCH PERFECT" WITH DURAPITCH

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants sealed their first no-hitter in 33 years when pitcher Jonathan Sanchez took to the mound Friday night after Natural Sand Co. president, Grant McKnight, helped groundskeepers prepare the mound.

The groundskeepers at AT&T Park used DuraPitch™ Mound Clay, a Natural Sand Co. product for the pitcher's mound.

"That mound's going to play pretty good tonight," said McKnight to the groundskeeping crew after preparing the mound.

And did it ever. The Sanchez no-hitter broke the Giants' three-decade dry spell.

McKnight was on site at AT&T Park over the weekend to install a custom-designed portable DuraPitch™ Mound for the Giants on Saturday.

The Giants are the first major league team to install a DuraPitch™ Mound in their ballpark. DuraPitch™ Mound is the only brand of portable mound that uses real dirt in its construction. 

The mound provides a stable clay pitching surface that is always the proper height and slope for regulation play. This innovation earned the Youth Game Model DuraPitch™ Mound best in show at the national ABCA convention in January.

According to John Pinkman, of ABCA's Collegiate Baseball, one of the most important elements for the improvement of a team’s pitching is secure footing for the pitcher.

A DuraPitch™ mound reduces the amount of time groundskeepers need to prepare the field for other events. This helps the Giants utilize AT&T Ballpark for other purposes such as college football's Emerald Bowl, concerts and various events throughout the year.

While the no-hitter belongs to Jonathan Sanchez and the San Francisco Giants, DuraPitch™ Mound Clay provided the secure footing to make it happen.

March 2009

27

GIANTS OPEN AT&T PARK WITH NEW FIELD ADDITIONS

SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants started ahead of the game this season with innovative field additions to AT&T Park that will conserve water and decrease the time spent maintaining the field.

In an effort to heed the governor’s call for Californians to decrease their water usage, the Giants hired Natural Sand Co. to revamp their infield’s moisture-retention profile. Eighty-eight tons of FieldSaver, a custom amendment agent, were added to the infield in February, which reduced the amount of water needed for infield preparation by approximately 30 percent.

According to Grant McKnight, owner of Natural Sand Co., the specialized composition of FieldSaver amendment allows groundskeepers to manage moisture-related issues with the infield. The mix is designed to retain water evenly to enable game play in overly wet or dry conditions.

Additionally, fans will notice a new portable bullpen mound along the third baseline of AT&T Park. The custom-designed bullpen mound by Natural Sand Co. is predicted to reduce the time needed for field conversion for events by about two days. Prior field change-outs required approximately three days of labor to accomplish. Future plans to install a portable game mound for home games could make the time between games and events at AT&T Park even shorter.

“We’re committed to providing the Giants with the tools that will make AT&T Park a premier facility for professional ball games and outdoor events,” said McKnight.

Natural Sand Co. prepared Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, for the 2008 World Series. The infield’s increased moisture-retention from the addition of FieldSaver allowed the teams to compete in game five despite the rainy conditions.

For over 10 years, Natural Sand Company has supplied expertly formulated soil mixes to the athletic field industry. Based in Slippery Rock, Pa., Natural Sand Company provides quality materials for projects ranging from professional league baseball fields to local parks.

Visit them online at:

www.naturalsand.com

and www.durapitchmound.com