Sports Field Blog
Safeshell Warning Tracks Enhance Artificial Turf Baseball Field Performance and Safety
As field owners and baseball lovers know, one of the most essential safety attributes of a baseball field is the warning track. Building a proper warning track on an artificial turf baseball field requires some choices about field and infill material.
The aptly named warning track has one main purpose: to keep players safe. The surface texture of the warning track material is different from that of the main field. As players chase flyballs in the outfield, they will feel and hear themselves on the surface of the warning track alerting them that they’re close to the edge of the field, a wall, or a fence. Installing a proper warning track is essential for keeping outfielders safe while they focus on catching the ball.
Knock it Out of The Park With a Safeshell Warning Track
Safeshell is the best turf infill for warning tracks in artificial turf baseball fields. It’s different from other infill products in four distinct ways.
1. Audible Cue
Safeshell has a unique texture so that players will hear it underfoot as soon as they make contact with it. The sound of cleats on a Safeshell infilled warning track material is very noticeable. Most turf infill products tend to be much “quieter.” Safeshell isn’t typically noisy in all applications, but for the warning track, it is intentionally filled all the way up to the top fibers of the turf, so that the surface is audible when athletes run on it.
2. Feel Underfoot
Ready for a curveball? Safeshell is made from a very sustainable and unlikely material: crushed walnut shells. It’s a high-performing (and completely natural!) turf infill with a distinctive underfoot feel that players in the outfield notice.
3. Limited Product Migration
Grain for grain, Safeshell is a higher density turf infill product than other natural infills. High density turf infill grains prevent migration and are more cost-effective than warning tracks with other infill products. They require less topping off as more of the product is retained in the system. The high-density surface is also an important factor in the auditory and tactile attributes of Safeshell warning track material.
4. No Turf Fiber Degradation and Mess
Safeshell is a non-toxic, high-performance infill that’s made from 100% natural materials. It’s leagues ahead of the commonly used materials in warning track applications. Clay, for instance, is messy and mixes with other components of your field’s turf system, while rocks and sand could prematurely degrade the artificial turf fibers, shorten your turf’s life span, and compromise field performance.
Play Ball With Safeshell
Schools and facilities across the country choose to install Safeshell warning tracks on their synthetic turf baseball fields because it’s the best infill for warning tracks.For more information on Safeshell warning track material specifications and testing, download our Safeshell Warning Track One Pager.
Artificial Turf Baseball Fields with Safeshell Warning Tracks
Check out these examples of Safeshell warning tracks in fields across the US.
Keli McGregor Field at Coca-Cola All-Star Park in Lakewood, CO installed a Safeshell warning track at their professional level facilities in 2020.
Kent-Meridian High School in Washington State switched to a Safeshell warning track in 2019. Read this case study to learn about their installation process, turf system, and sports complex.
East Central High School in St. Leon, Indiana, installed a Safeshell warning track in their school’s artificial turf baseball field.
Check out our Beech Grove High School baseball field case study featuring a Safeshell warning track.
The University of Cincinnati partnered with Motz to install two infill products at The University of Cincinnati Baseball Stadium: a warning track made up of Safeshell and an infield made from Safeshell SmoothPlay, both designed specifically for athletic performance.
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Call us today with questions about warning tracks or synthetic turf baseball field installation.
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