New turf, same NGU baseball
Michaela Gleed, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Robert Gawrys. Ashemore field when it was originally constructed in 1984.
If North Greenville University baseball can make their record look as nice as the new turf they will be playing on in 2018, then the players and coaches are in for quite the season.
Since the donations that allowed Younts stadium (football) and Pepsi stadium (soccer and lacrosse) to upgrade from a grass field to Sports Turf in 2014, North Greenville has constantly been upgrading all of the athletic facilities.
In 2015, the Sam and Angie Kelly Strength and Conditioning center was donated and built on the east side of Pepsi stadium and Younts stadium. Currently, all outdoor sports except for baseball have a grade A platform to perform on in the parameters of the Athletic Complex across from the main campus.
North Greenville has worked with donors and contractors constantly over the past four years to improve the facilities our athletes play on and now they have moved in on our baseball programs home, Ashmore field.
Baseball used to be played on the top intramural field but when it was rebuilt on the lower intramural field in 1984, where it stands today, the field was considered a luxury. In 1997, the field was officially dedicated as “Ashmore field” to honor its champion donors of the time.
Ashmore field has been an icon of North Greenville baseball as it is a western facing field. The direction the field sits lends it to the legendary sun breaks during afternoon games and a beautiful landscape view of the Smoky Mountains just beyond center field.
Ashmore field is one of the two athletic facilities which remains on the main campus of NGU. But dust began rising on Ashmore Field about four months ago as it was dug up and knocked down leaving only the field house standing.
In the near future, the Ashmore name will be transferred to “Ashmore Park.” The plans for Ashmore Park include the Sports Turf baseball field, a new field house, a Nevco scoreboard, a stadium entrance, stadium seating, a press box and changes to the upper intramural field which have not been released to date.
The field is being reconstructed from a grass field to a Sports Turf performance space with the only dirt areas being the pitcher’s mound. It will be dedicated under the name of its new champion donors, which will be released in this upcoming week.
Sportscapes Construction has been on the job since November 2017. The field was projected to be completed in time for the teams first game in early February, but has been delayed due to a large amount of precipitation during the 2017 and 2018 winter in Tigerville, S.C.
Sportscapes Construction plans to finish the project in time for the NGU Crusaders to host Northwood University college on February 21. With that date set, the crew has been flexible, working late into many nights and on Saturdays for the past week.
While the construction crew is working hard to get the turf ready, the Crusaders are working to have another successful year of conference play and to bring their home field advantage from Ashmore field onto their new turf.
Since Landon Powell started coaching at North Greenville University in 2014, the team has seen a large amount of success with three consecutive winning seasons. The Crusaders take pride in stepping onto their field at home. Their proven home-field advantage is shown in having only lost four games at home during the last two seasons with a record of 37-4.
Powell had a successful baseball career himself playing in the MLB before putting down his bat to teach others how to pick theirs up. Based on the personal success and merit of the entire coaching staff and himself, Powel said they have been able to attract quality recruits in the past. But with this new field and the future of Ashmore Park, as a whole, Powell is expectant for more talent to walk through the doors of NGU baseball.
