As the Tulane baseball team prepares for its upcoming season, Greer Field at Turchin Stadium is preparing to open its doors with major changes. Beginning in late November, Tulane replaced the original artificial turf playing surface for the first time in nine years.

The change makes way for new turf with designs solely intended for Tulane baseball. The new turf will feature a faint “Angry Wave” logo in the outfield along with the Tulane baseball “sluggerbird” logo painted behind home plate. In addition, the turf will have a striped pattern, alternating between two different shades of green.

Since Greer Field at Turchin Stadium opened in 2008, dirt was the key component in creating the pitcher’s mound and the bullpens. With the new renovations, however, these structures will consist of brown turf instead, creating a 100 percent turf playing surface, something already standard at many Division I universities.

Entering his first year as head coach of the Tulane baseball team, Travis Jewett believes the renovations will not only be aesthetically pleasing but also help counter the volatile New Orleans weather. Along with reducing rain-related issues, Jewett said the new turf will give the field a fresher look. 

“From a weather standpoint, this allows us complete certainty when it comes to rainouts. I didn’t want the dirt mound to be the deciding factor of whether we played or not,” Jewett said.  “The turf will also help with cleanliness because right now, the dirt from the mound bleeds into the turf infield and makes the ground very hard and discolored.”

Overall, Jewett is happy with the transformation and how it will affect play for the 2017 season.

“The design and the color schemes we’re putting down are going to be impressive to the fans, and the field will play very well for the team,” Jewett said.

Jewett and his staff are hoping to field a team that matches or exceeds the excitement surrounding the redesigned field.

“My coaching staff and I are very excited to be a part of this new era of Tulane baseball,” Jewett said. “We understand the tradition of greatness here, and we want to keep it moving forward.”

Greer Field at Turchin Stadium will unveil its new look for the Green Wave’s first game at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 17 against the Army Black Knights.