Talk about a 1-2 punch. Appalachian State’s baseball field features a state-of-the-art AstroTurf playing surface, and is surrounded by the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains. That combination, and an amazing fanbase, helped earn the Mountaineers the title of Ultimate AstroTurf Fan Favorite Division I Baseball Field.
Beginning in April with 48 teams, the contest featured two teams each day matched up on Twitter. Fans could then vote on their favorite field. The team receiving the most votes moved onto the next round. Thousands and thousands of votes were recorded from the start of the contest through crowning the champion in June.
Following four rounds of matchups, three teams remained: Appalachian State, Pittsburgh and Washington State. Each team received tons of fan support in the final days of voting, but the Mountaineers were the clear winner based on Twitter responses.
“Looking across Division I baseball facilities, it’s awesome to see this kind of recognition,” said Kermit Smith, head baseball coach at Appalachian State. “The detail that went into the designing and installing this playing surface was second to none. I’ve told everyone that it plays as good as it looks.”
The installation at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Stadium is part of a growing number of Division I Baseball programs to join the AstroTurf Diamond Series family as they selected the premier synthetic baseball system in the industry.
Appalachian State’s field features the AstroTurf Diamond Series RBI System, which includes multiple artificial turf components that have been specifically engineered to emulate the look, feel, and performance of both the grass and clay portions of a baseball field.
Appalachian State University’s baseball program, which competes in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference, has been to the NCAA tournament six times. The Mountaineers have captured six conference championships and one conference tournament championship.