Baylor baseball has had its share of highs over the years, but now the Red Raiders are suffering because of a low.
Baylor’s Wyatt McMahan Field is unplayable and may not be playable the rest of the season.
“The outfield is like a marsh,” coach Gene Etter said Monday. “Water comes to the surface and just stays there.”
There was conjecture that the Tennessee River might be causing the problem, and it’s possible there is an underground stream running through the outfield.
“We met with some experts and they were saying we may not play on that field for quite a while, even the whole season,” Etter said. “I’m still optimistic and thinking if we have a good stretch of sunshine that we might be able to get it back to normal, but that isn’t what I’m being told.”
The field has been used since at least the 1960s when Jim Worthington was the coach, but it is the lowest point on the entire Baylor campus.
Part of the problem has been that the water table has been uncharacteristically high.
“The folks we have talked with, including Bo Henley of the Lookouts, say we’re not going to know the exact problem without going in and digging up the outfield,” Baylor athletic director Thad Lepcio said. “If you look back over the last four to six months, though, we have had an incredible amount of rain. We are hoping that the water table recedes where we can get out there.”
Lepcio said there was no indication that the river was causing percolation. He pointed out that the football practice field adjacent to the baseball field had not been at a saturation level.
“I don’t think that’s the problem. I certainly hope it isn’t,” he said.
The softball field and parking lot above the baseball field third-base line and left-field area are about 10 feet higher, and Lepcio thought there might be a problem with run-off. It is a dilemma he wants to solve as soon as possible.
“If you look at Baylor athletic facilities as a whole, our soccer field and tennis courts are the best in town and our football and swimming and diving facilities are among the best,” he said. “We are going to have to seriously evaluate and give similar attention to our varsity baseball field.”
Etter’s team has been able to take infield on some days on the field, and Etter said that like many teams in the area his had been working indoors a lot because of the weather.
The Raiders will play some games at the Lookouts’ AT&T Field, which also has been offered to other schools on occasion because of field problems, and some at Red Bank.
“Both have been fantastic about working with us,” Lepcio said.
“If we do play at AT&T, there are some rules our players and fans will be asked to follow,” Etter said. “Obviously, the Lookouts’ main concern is keeping the field and stands in A-1 shape for their team and fans.”