Artificial Turf by FieldTurf - Artificial Turf for all your Synthetic Grass Needs

“FieldTurf has been a great partner for all we are doing in baseball,” says Cal Ripken Jr. “Their surface replicates the play of real grass better than any on the market, and it allows kids at our complexes to enjoy baseball regardless of the weather. A quality place to play is so important to the sports experience for kids, and FieldTurf goes a long way in providing that.”

Ripken Baseball and FieldTurf have been in a landmark partnership since 2006. As part of the agreement, FieldTurf becomes the exclusive "Official Turf Provider of Ripken Baseball." The announcement was made at a press conference during the 2006 Major League Baseball Annual Winter Meetings.

As part of the multi-year arrangement between FieldTurf and Ripken Baseball, Ripken attends trade shows and major sales presentations on behalf of FieldTurf. He is the official "face" of FieldTurf's baseball division. Presently, there are 140 FieldTurf baseball fields, and that number is growing at a rapid pace. Three MLB teams currently play their home games on FieldTurf: the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field, the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

"As we continue in our efforts to grow the game of baseball, we needed a strong turf partner and we found the best in FieldTurf," said Ripken. "FieldTurf looks like grass, feels like grass and plays like grass and I am proud to say that it is the official turf of Ripken Baseball."

In addition to the MLB stadiums, FieldTurf is also utilized at various facilities throughout minor league baseball. FielfTurf's college baseball installations are also quickly expanding, including a FieldTurf baseball surface for NCAA champion Oregon State.

FieldTurf's new baseball surfaces provide a grass-like bounce that thoroughly maximizes playability and safety. FieldTurf baseball fields are built without clay or dirt sliding boxes, which makes this modern system cleaner, safer and in need of less maintenance. FieldTurf's patented firm infill of a sand/rubber mix features a special top layer of rubber that gives the baseball a truer roll. FieldTurf's outfield surface and warning track include various tangible features that assist in alerting the outfielder to the proximity of the fence. Additionally, FieldTurf has created a unique convertible tray system for removable infields.

Ripken Baseball is the parent company that oversees Ripken's business and philanthropic interests. The company is comprised of five individual subsidiaries: minor league teams the Aberdeen IronBirds and Augusta GreenJackets, Ironclad Authentics, Ripken Camps and the non-profit Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. The mission of Ripken Baseball is to grow the game of baseball at the grassroots level. Ripken Baseball owns and operates two youth baseball academies, one in Ripken's hometown of Aberdeen, MD, and the other in Myrtle Beach, SC. The Ripken Baseball facility in Myrtle Beach currently features six FieldTurf fields.

In the summer of 1999, Babe Ruth Baseball changed the name of its largest division from "Bambino" to "Cal Ripken Baseball". Currently nearly 700,000 kids play Cal Ripken Baseball worldwide.

Cal Ripken Jr., a man who needs no introduction, is baseball's all-time Iron Man. He retired from baseball in October 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His name appears in the record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.

Bill Ripken, a 12-year major league veteran, began his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 1987 under the direction of his father, Cal Ripken Sr., and alongside his brother, Cal Ripken Jr. It was the first and remains the only time in Major League Baseball (MLB) history that a father simultaneously managed two of his sons.

The Ripken family’s love for the game has clearly not diminished since the brothers retired from their playing careers. Ripken Baseball, Inc., represents the goodness and allure of the game throughout every aspect of baseball. Established in 2001, the company has one mission — to grow the game of baseball worldwide “The Ripken Way.” The idea was born from the Ripkens’ will to recreate the experience of walking into Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium for the first time. Those encounters generated a lifelong love of baseball they say they’ll never abandon.

Both Ripken brothers were on hand to open The Ripken Experience — Myrtle Beach, a $23-million facility in South Carolina that is as close to a dream complex as middle school players might have. All nine baseball fields are surfaced with FieldTurf (used in three MLB ballparks and numerous NCAA schools) to provide a safe, yet aesthetically beautiful setting, while recreating the magic of a traditional baseball field. There are six youth fields and three regulation-sized baseball fields that are modeled after three of baseball's most historic parks — the Polo Grounds (New York), Old Comiskey Park (Chicago), and Forbes Field (Pittsburgh).

"FieldTurf has been a great partner for all we are doing in baseball," says Cal Ripken Jr. "Their surface replicates the play of real grass better than any on the market, and it allows kids at our complexes to enjoy baseball regardless of the weather. A quality place to play is so important to the sports experience for kids, and FieldTurf goes a long way in providing that."

The Ripken Experience–Myrtle Beach has become the ultimate youth baseball venue, especially for tournaments. Throughout the summer of 2006, up to 170 teams of young players from 24 states are expected to participate in tournaments and camps at the new complex off the U.S. Highway 17 Bypass in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The Ripken Experience–Myrtle Beach holds the promise of bringing more tourism in the form of families enjoying wholesome activities.

Kids playing at baseball's ultimate youth sports complex will enjoy a surface that has received rave reviews from the baseball world. Torii Hunter, the Minnesota Twins' star outfielder is a big supporter of FieldTurf, on which he plays 81 games a year. In a 2004 Pioneer Press interview about the FieldTurf at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, Hunter had this to say:
"I can just go out and dive and not worry about getting hurt. When you're in the air diving for a ball, you kind of have these thoughts, 'Oh, here it comes. I'm about to get burnt up.' I don't have to think about that anymore. Now I can play fearless and have some fun."

Rick Nafe, Vice President Operations & Facilities, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, is impressed with his surface. "Most of our events occurred on it without a covering or floor," he says. "The condition of the turf after three years of heavy use is remarkable. FieldTurf stood by us and pretty much let us have our way with the turf. It was really a great acid test, and the results are uncanny."

The view of The Ripken Experience–Myrtle Beach is breathtaking, to say the least. Creating a venue of this stature works wonders for the kids and gives them an opportunity to feel the tradition and experience of a big league setting. Ripken Baseball is an organization that has given and will continue to give youths the tools to appreciate what is great about America"s favorite pastime.