It’s no secret that the Blue Valley baseball and softball fields have recently been undergoing construction. They are working to switch one of the two fields into turf instead of dirt and grass.

Varsity baseball coach Tim Kennedy is very excited about these changes.

“It takes away the bad hops, but more importantly, it allows us to practice a lot more without worrying about rain and weather,” he said.

Kennedy doesn’t think turf will impact the performance of his team too much because turf is used for competitive baseball, so most players are used to it. However, he does think it will help make practices far more efficient.

“[Previously] our infield could only [practice] in the infield, but now we could run three infields,” he said.

Kennedy is also eager for varsity to be able to play games at home, as this wasn’t an option with the previous field.

Not only is baseball getting turf fields, softball is also having its field renovated.

Softball player sophomore Shea Splittorff shared her opinions on playing on turf.

“I prefer dirt over turf because I feel like on turf it’s a little slick with the rain and stuff,” Splittorff said, “I don’t want to roll any ankles.”

While she prefers dirt, Splittorff does agree with the decision to switch.

“Turf is better with [rain] and different conditions” she explained, “It makes sense for school because turf is more low maintenance.”

Splittorff said the change wouldn’t affect the season.

“If you can play, you can play [and] if you can’t, you can’t,” she said. “I feel like it won’t affect that much.”

The fields are expected to be finished by the 2024 season.

“We get to play on our home fields this season — that’s the most exciting part,” Kennedy said.