Between the Lines

Five-Time NYPL Honoree Matt Neri Shares Sports Turf Insights

Professional baseball sports turf management has been Matt Neri’s profession and his passion since 2002. Neri has received multiple honors in his 17-year career: he is a five-time winner of the New York-Penn League’s Groundskeeper of the Year Award for his work on Medlar Field at Lubrano Park (2006, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018) and before that he was part of the team which achieved two Field of the Year awards with the Altoona Curve of the Eastern League at Blair County Ballpark. We asked him to share some of his professional experiences and insight on what goes into maintaining an outstanding field.

According to Neri, creating and maintaining a great field depends on three things: dedicated staff, excellent communication, and the ability to focus a strong work ethic on every detail of the job. He especially credits the great mentors he had early in his own career for giving him the tools for his success in the field of turf management. “They taught me that attention to detail is key, they helped to instill the work ethic that it takes to be great,” he says.

Matt Neri is Sports Turf Manager for Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, where he maintains a Major League quality playing surface for the Spikes and oversees the sports turf operations for all Penn State University baseball games.

Dedicated Staff

“I am extremely fortunate to be located on the campus of one of the world’s premier turf programs. We have had some great student employees over the years, which has been the main factor in our continued success,” Neri acknowledges. The crew is 100% student run and works year-round. Students gain knowledge in a wide range of baseballrelated tasks, such as mound/plate maintenance, infield skin maintenance, mowing, edging, fertilization, etc.

During the spring semester, students work around their class schedules throughout the day. During the summer months, there are two fulltime internships available. Each intern is expected to learn everything that a sports turf manager does on a daily basis. The goal is to have interns prepared for life after school by the end of the summer. During the fall semester, Neri likes to put a student in charge of the turf for Penn State’s weekend practices and scrimmages. This gives him a welcome break, but more importantly, it gives the students valuable management skills that will help them moving forward. “Overall, I believe this set-up has been beneficial for the students. It is also rewarding for me to watch them grow and move on in their own careers.”

Excellent Communications

As far as Neri is concerned, great communication skills are a must to achieve a great result. Every person involved in field maintenance must know what needs to be done and when. To ensure this, the turf manager works closely with the coaching staff, front office staff, umpires, and players so that everything runs smoothly.

Strong Work Ethic

Neri identifies two distinct traits that he feels every turf manager must have in order to excel: extreme attention to detail and extraordinary work ethic. The long baseball season is a grind, he points out. It’s important to set daily goals and work hard each and every day to achieve them.

Because Medlar Field hosts both college and minor league baseball, there are two seasons, each with their own unique goals and challenges, to deal with. For the college season, the number one challenge is getting the field playable for the first home game in mid-March. Often during the first weeks of the season the goal is just to get the games played while also making sure the field is as safe as possible in less than ideal conditions. Once the weather starts to cooperate in April, Neri and his crew can then fine-tune their operation and get the field back up to professional standards. “We really don’t change too much for the pro season. In fact, our goals remain the same for both: always put forth the best field possible each and every day. Of course, weather and other events can throw a wrench in those plans, but that is our ultimate goal.”

Challenges When asked to go into detail on what such a “wrench in the plans” might look like, Neri immediately recalled last season’s terrible weather: “Probably the worst year I can remember in my 17 years of doing this!” His number one job above all else is to make sure that the games can take place. For a smaller-market, short-season team, it is imperative that as many games as possible are played as scheduled. There is only a small window to make a profit and each game is extremely important to the Spikes’ bottom line, so Neri is proud that his hard work and that of his crew made every Spikes game but one possible last season, in spite of ongoing adverse weather conditions. “It was not easy, most days started and ended with pulling the tarp, but with a little luck and a lot of hard work, we overcame the wettest summer on record with only one rainout.”

Mentorship

Just as Matt Neri recalls the great mentors he had early on, he tries to pass on the same qualities to future turf managers just starting out in their careers. “It takes attention to detail and an excellent work ethic to be great,” he emphasizes. He also urges up-and-coming turf professionals not to become complacent. “The best advice I can give to someone starting out is to always be learning. There is only so much that can be taught in a classroom. Learn from your mistakes, learn from others. The industry is constantly evolving — don’t get left behind!”

Keystone Athletic Field Managers Organization

1451 Peter’s Mountain Road

Dauphin, PA 17018-9504

www.KAFMO.org

Email: KAFMO@aol.com

Contact: Linda Kulp, Executive Secretary

Phone: 717-497-4154 kulp1451@gmail.com

Contact: Dan Douglas, President

Phone: 610-375-8469 x 212 KAFMO@aol.com