CHICAGO, May 1, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- FieldTurf is the new turf of choice for the University of Illinois at Chicago's Les Miller Field. The announcement that the world's leading artificial turf system would be installed at UIC's baseball facility was jointly announced by FieldTurf Tarkett CEO John Gilman and UIC Director of Athletics Jim Schmidt. The installation of FieldTurf at Les Miller Field is scheduled to begin at the end of June and will be completed this summer.
Les Miller Field is one of the newest and most modern collegiate baseball facilities in the Midwest. It has been the home for Flames baseball since 1996 and is named after UIC's legendary coach who directed the school's baseball program from 1949-79. Equipped with lights and a breathtaking view of the Chicago skyline, Les Miller Field seats 1,000 fans. An interesting feature of the park is the all-brick backstop that is reminiscent of Chicago's Wrigley Field. In its short tenure, Les Miller Field has twice hosted the National Amateur All-Star Baseball Tournament, and it also hosted the MCC Baseball Championships in 1998, 1999 and 2001. This May, Les Miller will be the site for the 2007 Horizon League Baseball Championships.
"Although we are probably more known for our football product, our baseball turf is absolutely the finest available in the world today," said Gilman. "We're not only very proud of the fact that several Major League Baseball teams play their home games on FieldTurf, we're also proud of the fact that a growing number of college baseball programs are selecting FieldTurf. Les Miller Field is an outstanding facility, and I'm confident that Coach (Mike) Dee and his players will greatly enjoy competing on their new FieldTurf."
"We feel great that we will have one of the top collegiate baseball playing surfaces in the Midwest," said Schmidt. "FieldTurf has been the only way to go with the ongoing weather challenges during the spring months. The turf will give us great flexibility and options for utilization year-round and will enhance our already-competitive program. We feel the FieldTurf option enhances our situation as one of the top baseball facilities in the country."
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 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 delivers 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.