For years, the baseball field at Shawnee Mission South High School has been plagued by flooding.
The infield sat naturally lower than the outfield, and there was no irrigation system in place, creating a “soup bowl” effect. The field, which sits near 107th Street and Lamar Avenue in Overland Park, would frequently be overtaken by standing water for days following any significant rain.
“The field became known as ‘Lake Lamar’ because it would just hold water, and the boys were not able to get on a real baseball field for days or weeks,” said Bill Roche, a parent with two boys in SM South’s baseball program.
Roche was one of the many parents who got involved this spring to make improvements to the field and finally fix its flooding problem.
Dad with groundskeeping experience leads charge
It all began at an annual spring baseball meeting in March, hosted by second-year coach Matt Shipley.
A plan to rehab the field was hatched, spearheaded by Matt Mattes, another parent with first-hand knowledge of baseball field maintenance.
Mattes is a former groundskeeper for the Kansas City Royals, where he learned for two years under the tutelage of legendary groundskeeper George Toma, before becoming head groundskeeper for a time with independent league team the Kansas City Monarchs, who play their home games at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kan.
Mattes approached Shipley at that March meeting to discuss the safety implications of what he saw happening at SM South’s field.
“I tried to make the case that the field was simply not safe, and action needed to be taken,” Mattes said.
Parents raise $35K for field project
Quickly, the team’s booster club sprang into action, with parents and alumni raising $35,000 to address the infield conditions, meaning no funds needed to come from the Shawnee Mission School District.
Mattes reached out to John Watt, at landscaper Site One, to provide the materials needed for the infield overhaul.
Watt, a local distributor of a product called DuraEdge — a blend of sand, silt, and clay which creates a firm playing surface — surveyed SM South’s field and saw what was needed on the property.
“Once you see the field after it rains, you can tell why it takes maybe four or five days before it’s playable again,” Mattes said.
Watt recruited Frank Masterson with Topeka-based Midwest Laser Leveling, whose firm graded the field after the DuraEdge was applied.
Games are resuming soon
The project began on Monday, April 17th, with 120 tons of DuraEdge applied to the infield, and the work continued through the following day.
With a heavy rainstorm coming down as predicted on the night of Wednesday, April 19, the materials were able to compact into the soil as needed.
Two days later, Masteron’s team, along with Mattes, returned to the field to perform a final treatment.
The baseball players themselves came out after school and picked up rakes to help lay the conditioner on the field before starting practice.
Freshman games are expected to resume Friday, April 28.
Other changes to the field
Upcoming games will also feature a new and improved pitching mound that parents and players rebuilt in March.
This spring’s improvements follow last year’s updates made to a batting cage area that sits along 107th Street.
Mattes and other SM South baseball parents also have their sights set on adding a warning track to the fence sometime soon.
For now, parents like Steve Tucker are happy to see the players, like his son on the freshman squad, able to enjoy the new field.
“There’s already a night and day difference,” Tucker said. It’s an amazing thing for these kids to get to practice and play on a comfortable home field.”
