Baseball Field Clinic
Saturday – February 23, 2008 10:00 – 3:00
Leffert Stone Company is a distributor of Mulemix Field Conditioners, Mar Mound Clay, and Autrey’s GoalLine field marking paint. We are hosting a free Baseball Field Clinic on February 23, 2008 in the Lewis Cass High School Auditorium in Walton, Indiana. We have a great line up of speakers giving talks on a wide variety of topics concerning baseball field construction and maintenance. Unlike most clinics the entire focus of this clinic is field work. Getting it built, getting it looking good and keeping it playable.
This clinic should be of interest to coaches, athletic directors, groundskeepers, school maintenance personnel, parks departments and all those involved in maintaining youth baseball fields.
Saturday – February 23, 2008
Clinic Agenda:
9:00 – 10:00 Registration, Coffee and Danish, Lewis Cass High School Cafeteria
10:00 – 10:45 “Building A Mound” - Bill Marbet will use a PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate and explain the basics of the layout, construction, shaping and maintenance of a pitcher’s mound.
10:45 – 11:15 “If You Build It They Will Come” – Matt Price’s presentation is geared towards the many Youth Leagues invited to the clinic. Major improvements including a new building were recently made at the Walton Town Ball Park. Matt Price will explain the decisions leading to the new investments and the improved revenue gained in a single year.
11:15 – 12:00 “Maintaining Your Field Throughout the Season” – Brian Abbott - There is a tremendous wear and tear on your field during the season. After every game the field needs put back together. Brian Abbott will address the routine maintenance that should be done after every game. He will also give tips on putting a field to sleep for the winter.
12:00 – 12:45 – Chicken Dinner with all the trimmings provided.
12:45 – 1:30 “Using Field Conditioners” – Jake Tyler - Brick dust can’t compare to the calcined clay products offered for keeping fields dryer and less compacted. Jake Tyler will share his expertise in basic field construction using clay/sand field mixes and topdressing using calcined clay products.
2:00 – 2:30 “Basics of The Batter’s Box” – Bill Marbet will explain proper construction of a batter’s box.
2:30 – 3:00 “Making It Look Professional” – Jake Tyler will offer tips on trimming, edging, mowing and other topics to make your field look the best in the league.
We are excited about the upcoming baseball season and we want everyone to have the best field they can have for their money. Please join us in the Lewis Cass Auditorium on February 23rd in Walton Indiana for a great day of talking about the field of your dreams.
Speakers:
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Jake Tyler, a Jackson, Tennessee native, has been employed with the Toledo Mud Hens since 2004 earning Sports Turf Manager of the Year in 2006 and 2007 in the International League and also Triple- A Sports Turf Manager of the Year in 2006 and 2007 presented by Minor League and Major League Baseball at the Baseball Winter Meetings. In 2006 Tyler was honored with Field of Distinction Award from the Ohio Sports Turf Managers Association. He came to Toledo from the Double-A Binghamton Mets of the Eastern League. In his three years there, he was named the Eastern League Sports Turf Manger of the Year twice, in 2002 and 2004. Prior to that, Tyler had served as Assistant to the head grounds keeper with the Triple-A Louisville Bats in Louisville, KY from 2000-2001. In 1998-1999, he was the assistant head groundskeeper with the Double-A Tennessee Diamond Jaxx in Jackson, TN. During the off season, Tyler also teaches Athletic Field Management for Owens Community College in Toledo. |
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Bill Marbet, a native of middle Tennessee, graduated from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. While at MTSU, he was a football letterman and was actively involved in various organizations. After graduation, he coached football for three years before becoming involved in the retail sales business. In 1996, he began a dream of his to own a business that dealt with baseball and softball field materials and construction. Southern Athletic Fields was formed and through that his main goal was to improve the fields locally for the kids. Once he got involved in this, his legacy grew not only in middle Tennessee, but statewide and now he is involved in fields from New York to California. He has taken his passion for fields and through hard work and a great attitude, has grown Southern Athletic Fields into a company that employs over 20 people and is well known nationwide for the products that SAF sells. He is married to JoAnn Marbet and has two sons and 3 grandchildren. |
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Matt Price, a native of Camden, Indiana. He holds a BS in Safety Management from Indiana State University, and an MBA from Indiana University. Matt is a National Federation of State High School certified coach. Matt is President of the Walton Youth League, a boys and girls baseball and softball league for children ages four through twelve. He sits on the State Board for Town and Country Youth League Baseball and Softball in the State of Indiana. His lifelong love of the game of baseball, his game experience, and his passion for providing great service lead him to recently co-found All Star Field Services, an athletic field service company specializing in athletic field construction, renovation, and maintenance. |
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Brian Abbott, native of Delphi, Indiana, graduated from Huntington College in 1983. He was a four year member of the baseball team and a three year letter winner. He holds a B.S in Mathematics Education from Huntington, a M.A in Mathematics from Ball State, and a M.S. in Secondary Admin. and Supervision also from BSU. Upon graduation from Huntington, he coached for one season at Brookville High School and worked with baseball Hall of Famer Jim Hughes. In 1984, he moved on to Eastbrook High School where he served two years as an assistant and then was the head coach for eighteen seasons. Also during that time, Coach Abbott served as an assistant at Huntington College (now Huntington University) and worked for nine seasons as the pitching coach. He was a part of five consecutive NAIA regional appearances while he was with the Foresters. In his tenure at Eastbrook HS and at Huntington University, he was also noted for his efforts in field maintenance. He built the mounds and plates from scratch at both facilities and was also a part of the year round maintenance programs. Both facilities were given high marks by baseball people (IHSAA and NAIA) and were rewarded with the opportunities to host many tournaments and All-Star contests. Brian currently serves as the Assistant Executive Director of the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association. He and his wife Trisha live in Huntington, Indiana and have two children, Tyler (18) and Briley (16). |