DURHAM, NC – For the 13th time in as many years, Haymarket Park – the home of the Lincoln Saltdogs – was selected ‘Best Playing Field’ in the American Association Thursday, as voted by league managers and media.
Josh Klute has been the Athletic Turf Manager at Haymarket Park since 2006. In addition to the eight American Association titles, he also helped earn the ballpark ‘Baseball Field of the Year’ in the College/University division by the Sports Turf Management Association in 2007 – the second time Hawks Field at Haymarket Park earned that national award.
“It’s never easy in Nebraska with baseball being played from January to November,” Klute said. “Each year it gets more difficult but I believe this year may have been the best product we have put out. It doesn’t happen without a lot of hard, manual work throughout the entire calendar year.”
As a member of the Northern League, Haymarket Park garnered the award from its inception in 2001 through 2005, and has continued the title reign through all six seasons of American Association play.
“Klute and his staff do an outstanding job for baseball fans in Lincoln,” Saltdogs VP/GM Tim Utrup said. “They keep the playing field of Haymarket Park on par with Major League surfaces.”
Prior to his time at Haymarket Park Klute served as Athletic Turf Manager at the University of Oklahoma in 2005, Assistant Turf Manager for the Cleveland Indians minor-league affiliate in Lake County (Ohio) from 2003-2004, and as an intern with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002.
Klute: “I owe a huge thank you to my assistant Jeremy Johnson as he takes an incredible amount of pride in his work. I also want to thank my other assistant Jen Roeber and this year’s interns of Kale Mueller, Austin Epp and Lucas Kasson and the rest of my crew. It takes everyone to help achieve our goals.”
