The Springfield Cardinals, Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, are proud to announce that Hammons Field has been named the 2017 Texas League Field of the Year.
It marks the seventh consecutive year, and ninth time overall, that Hammons Field has won the award. The Springfield Cardinals and Hammons Field are also record-setting five-time winners of the Sports Turf Managers Association Double-A Field of the Year Award (2008, 2013 – 2016). The 2017 Double-A Field of the Year will be announced later in the offseason.
The Texas League Field of the Year award also names Cardinals Head Groundskeeper Brock Phipps as the Texas League’s 2017 Turf Manager of the Year, recognizing the excellent work of Phipps, Assistant Groundskeeper Derek Edwards and the entire field staff at Hammons Field.
In 2017, Hammons Field will have not only hosted 70 Springfield Cardinals home games, but also the Missouri State Bears Baseball home schedule, the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and multiple community events.
“To have Hammons Field named as the Texas League Field of the Year is really an incredible honor,” said Phipps. “This league is full of excellent facilities and top notch playing surfaces, and to once again be voted as having the best field in the league really is a testament to the hard work of Assistant Groundskeeper Derek Edwards and our entire field crew.”
“We take great pride in our field and know it is a big part of the fan experience to enjoy watching the Future of Cardinals Baseball play on a world-class playing surface,” said Springfield Cardinals Vice President / General Manager Dan Reiter. “Brock, Derek and their staff put in tireless work to continuously find new ways to raise the bar and further build upon the standard of excellence that Mr. Hammons envisioned. We are honored by this recognition and look forward to what the future holds for our facilities, our fans and the entire Springfield Cardinals family.”