CORVALLIS, Ore., Dec. 4, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- FieldTurf is the choice for the Oregon State Beavers, the reigning NCAA baseball champions. The announcement that FieldTurf will be installed at OSU's Goss Stadium at Coleman Field was made jointly by FieldTurf CEO John Gilman and Beavers Director of Athletics Bob De Carolis.
The Beaver baseballers will play their first home game on their new FieldTurf surface on March 8 against Evansville. This marks the third FieldTurf installation at Oregon State...the school already has FieldTurf at Reser Stadium (football) and at the Merritt Truax Indoor Center.
"We are obviously quite pleased to expand our relationship with Oregon State," said Gilman. "We have had a wonderful relationship with the Beavers' athletic department and with Bob De Carolis, and we value the trust that they have shown in our product. FieldTurf continues to be the top turf product in the world, and we're delighted to now be associated with the top college baseball program in the United States. There's no doubt that Coach (Pat) Casey and his players will enjoy their new FieldTurf as they begin defense of their national championship."
"Having FieldTurf on our infield will open up a lot of options for us in terms of when we can practice, how we can practice and how we can schedule games on our home field," said OSU Head Baseball Coach Pat Casey. "It creates a lot of possibilities that we might not have had before, and those are things that are going to help keep our program competitive on a national level in the future."
Coleman Field has been the home for Beavers baseball since 1907. The facility received a major remodeling in 1999 when it officially became known as Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The stadium has a seating capacity of 2300. Lights were installed in 2002 to allow for night baseball.
While FieldTurf is widely known for its outstanding football surfaces, the company's baseball business is also booming. In addition to the colleges and minor league teams that utilize FieldTurf for baseball, MLB's Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays also make FieldTurf their choice for their stadiums.
FieldTurf is the result of years of research - evident in the patented FieldTurf infill mix of silica sand and cryogenic rubber and patented layering process that deliver a system that emulates natural grass. Additional benefits are found in improved player safety, reduced maintenance costs and flexibility for conversion - allowing stadium managers to quickly change the field from one sport to another or to easily host a variety of sporting events, concerts and other special events directly on top of the FieldTurf surface.
Over the past few years, the quality and performance of FieldTurf's patented system has resulted in over 1900 installations in more than 40 countries. For more information on FieldTurf, please visit www.fieldturf.com or call (800) 724-2969.