Coyote softball ready to use new Stuart Field turf

Ask just about anyone who's ever been associated with Weatherford College athletics and they will say it was one of the best experiences of their life.

Now, the college and its donors have given softball players another reason to express that sentiment with the installation of a new artificial turf surface at Stuart Field, home of the Coyotes.

After a generous lead gift from Nancy and Richard Stuart, the college installed the new turf in August. WC contracted with Field Turf, the same company that has installed at several major universities, including Notre Dame and Tennessee, along with some NFL teams, such as the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.

The field consists of a clay-colored turf for the infield and natural-colored turf for the outfield.

"This shows that the donors, board and administration value us. This shows they see us, they appreciate our dedication and our success, winning three conference championships in seven seasons," Coyotes head coach Haylee Williams said. "This type of investment shows that we will give our athletes the best collegiate experience possible."

In fact, Weatherford College is the first program in NJCAA Region V, including 17 Texas and New Mexico institutions, to have such a field.

"We are very grateful to the Stuarts for wanting to take this on and being huge supporters of the project,” Williams said.

The new turf will drain more effectively and eliminate field issues due to rain, wind or other elements. It also eliminates the time and expense of mowing, watering and fertilizing.

"It provides a consistent playing surface and of course, it looks amazing," she said.

Williams added that the new turf should also help with recruiting to a program that is already among the most consistent when it comes to winning.

"This should be huge for recruiting. A newly turfed field for a program immediately shows that the community and college appreciates and values athletics and student-athletes," Williams said.

"Our location is great and our stadium/facilities are second to none. I have always loved showing off our field to recruits and this just raises the bar."

It won't be long before the Coyotes initiate the new turf. Though COVID-19 restrictions are in place, the Coyotes and other teams are allowed a fall scrimmage season, Williams said.

"Most of our fall games are usually played on the road because we compete against mostly universities and they don’t travel to us. With COVID we are adjusting every day, and we may be playing more home games this fall," Williams said. "I am hoping to have our first team practice Sept. 5."

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by Rick Mauch