Renovations complete at Auburn Doubledays’ home field

AUBURN — Crews have completed renovations to the playing surface of Leo A. Pinckney Field at Falcon Park in Auburn, so the field is ready for the 2014 season

The Auburn Doubledays, single-A, short-season affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, made the announcement on Tuesday. They open the baseball season, hosting the Batavia Muckdogs on June 13.

“Falcon Park will have one of the best playing surfaces in the New York-Penn League,” Dave Daum, president of the Auburn Doubledays, said in a news release. “The Washington Nationals are very pleased with this upgrade.”

The city of Auburn funded the improvements with a grant award of more than $412,000 through the Central New York regional economic-development council.

The playing-field improvements include 100,000 square feet of freshly laid sod, with 29 new sprinkler heads keeping the sod green, the Doubledays said in the release.

Crews also “vastly improved” the drainage system, having repaired or replaced 4,000 linear feet of the drainage system, the team added.

They also installed water sources behind the pitcher’s mound and at home plate to supplement the new systems. Crews resurfaced the infield with a new mixture that includes higher clay content, which “helps maintain a well-balanced playing surface,” according to the Doubledays.

“It’s hard to understate the importance of maintaining a professional-quality field at this level,” Mike Voutsinas, general manager of the Auburn Doubledays, said in the news release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com