Leveling the Playing Field

Following a 3-2 defeat against the Frederick Keys, the Potomac Nationals 2011 season came to an end on Sept. 12.

But the action on Pfitzner Stadium’s field will continue into the fall.

Over the years, “The standards for fields have changed,” said Rick Washco, communication services director of the Prince William County Park Authority. “And Pfitzner Stadium is one of the oldest stadiums in the league.”

The 27-year-old Pfitzner Stadium, which is owned by the Park Authority and leased out to the Potomac Nationals, will get a new playing field this offseason. The $300,000 budgeted project began with the removal of the current sod. The new field will be flatter and closer to the standards of Minor League Baseball.

“The changes to the field are specifically to change the grade [or rise] of the field,” said Kevin Flickinger, the grounds and landscape services manager of the Park Authority. “The reason is to get the grade closer to what is specified in the standards of Minor League Baseball.”

Some, such as Dan Wagner, a Nationals fan from Manassas, are excited about the renovation.

“I’m glad to see some work being done,” Wagner said. “If the facility can be well maintained, then there is no reason it couldn’t last forever. Look at Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. Those fields have been around for 100 years and that’s mostly from the teams keeping the stadiums up-to-date and well maintained.”

The change in the incline of the field will likely go unnoticed to P-Nats fans such as Wagner.

“Changing the grade will serve to flatten the surface of the entire field as a whole,” according to Flickinger. “Not completely flat, but it will reduce the slope.”

The current project will not alter the relatively new drainage system.

“The Park Authority installed a well functioning drainage system in the outfield over the past two offseasons,” Flickinger said. “The only real change will be to the grading of the field, a drainage and a sprinkler system will be reinstalled.”

Despite the changes, other components of the field will remain the same as in previous years.

“The grass type will continue to be Bermuda grass,” Flickinger said, “and the infield mix [dirt] will be consistent with what is currently in place.”

The renovation, which began Sept. 22, is expected to be completed within two months.

“The Park Authority assumes that the project will move forward quickly,” according to Washco, “so this project should be completed by the end of the year.”

Editor's Note: Joseph Adams is currently an employee of General’s Ridge Golf Course, which is a facility owned by the Prince William County Park Authority and managed by Dan Wagner.