By STEVE KRAH
Andrew Brabender keeps finding reasons to be grateful for Northridge High School’s new baseball field.
“No corners were cut,” says Brabender, who led players through their first fall workout on the new turf surface in Middelbury, Ind., Monday, Sept. 14.
Around two dozen athletes not participating in fall sports went through drills, getting used to how the ball bounces.
“Fall will be about practicing and seeing how it plays,” says Brabender. “Outfielders will have to move and keep (the ball) in front of them. Infielders will have to have arms (because there is much more foul territory than at the previous varsity field.”
Brabender notes that the backstop is about 60 feet from home plate.
Dimensions of the new field are 320 feet down the foul lines and 370 to center field.
Suspecting that the National Federation of State High School Associations is likely to put in a rule about making all outfield fences a minimum of eight feet high, Northridge made its fences that high with the batter’s eye in center at 20 feet.
There is an inning-by-inning scoreboard in left field and the sound system goes through it.
Padding and other fittings are to be installed in the dugouts. Windscreens and yellow piping will be added to the fences later.
The press box is spacious.
There is bleaching seating for about 350 fans and the space to bring in more when Northern Lakes Conference member Northridge hosts an IHSAA Class 4A sectional tournament next spring.
There are two full batting tunnels behind the Raider dugout on the third base side.
While not used Monday, the lights will be concentrated on the field.
Brabender had input in the facility and suggested that a large “N” in the program’s preferred font be placed in center field. He got the idea from the University of Michigan.
The adjacent softball field also has an “N” in center.
The football field, which played host to its first varsity contest Friday, Sept. 11, also an “N” at the 50-yard line.
Baseball, softball, football and track share the same complex, located right across the road from the high school. Interra Credit Union has the naming rights.
Construction continued through the summer even with the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the field being closer, time can be saved when starting practices or on gamedays.
Before, players had to get up the hill during dismissal traffic and that took at least 15 minutes.
“In-season, that’s a lot,” says Brabender. “Now we can start right at 4.
“We can go 90 minutes and have the same production (as a longer practice).”
The block house next to the fields has a locker room and a multi-purpose room with Promethean board that will allow for team talks or meals between games of a doubleheader.
By having two fields, the Raiders can conduct two practices or have two games at the same time. This will allow them to have a freshmen or C-team — something that previously was not practical.
“There are so many things I’m going to continue to find that’s going to be awesome,” says Brabender, who plans to run workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays on the field through the fall.
Turf fields are trending on Indiana high school campuses. There are no less than a dozen of them. LEARN MORE HERE.
www.IndianaRBI.com 
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