Daytona Beach, FL – The Daytona Tortugas will be taking the field on a new stage this year. The Minor League Baseball team has upgraded their natural grass playing surface to a new AstroTurf Diamond Series synthetic turf system.
The new field is a major upgrade for Jackie Robinson Stadium and one that will help improve safety, performance and continuity of play. The historic
stadium has been a fixture for athletic and community events in Daytona Beach for decades. Daytona was the first Florida ballpark that would allow Jackie Robinson to play during the 1946 Spring Training. This is said to have contributed to allowing Robinson to break the color barrier the next year with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The park is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
For their new field, the Tortugas chose the AstroTurf Diamond Series. The Diamond Series 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. Diamond Series turf systems from AstroTurf are well-known throughout the sport of baseball for delivering the ultimate in playability, durability and ballpark aesthetics.
AstroTurf Director of Baseball, Aaron Klotz stated, “The players and fans both are going to love this new field. The players are going to love the predictable bounces the Diamond Series will give them and the fans are going to enjoy the beauty of the field as well as the decrease in the likelihood of rainouts.”
The Daytona Tortugas play in the Florida State League as a Class A-Advanced Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They will open the season on their new AstroTurf field on April 4th against the Florida Fire Frogs.
About AstroTurf®
For athletes and sport enthusiasts, AstroTurf® has redefined the way the game is played. The brand offers advanced, state-of-the-art, multi-sport and specialized synthetic turf systems with proprietary engineered technologies. A growing number of high schools, colleges, professional sports teams and municipalities continue to select AstroTurf-branded products for their premium quality, technical superiority, and safety. To learn more, visit AstroTurf’s website at www.astroturf.com.