Studer Community Institute

Wahoos groundskeeper makes fields of dreams

April 3, 2015
/ Louis Cooper
/ community-dashboard

If Ray Sayre had his way, no kid playing baseball in Pensacola would ever suffer a broken nose again. As groundskeeper for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Sayre also helps local schools and recreation leagues make sure their fields are up to snuff. “I broke my nose one time playing shortstop on a Little League field because a bad hop hit me in the nose,” said Sayre, 35. “I want these fields to be safe If these kids get hurt, they can’t play.” Before joining the Wahoos for the inaugural season in 2012 at Community Maritime Park, Sayre opened new minor league stadiums in Greenville, S.C., and Bowling Green, Ky. In Pensacola, he has been recognized as the Southern League groundskeeper of the year for two years in a row. As important as it is to keep his stadium’s turf in tip-top condition, Sayre said it is equally important to do what he can to make sure local schools and parks have safe, quality fields on which to play. Wahoo’s management is pleased with Sayre’s performance outside of the stadium as well. “Ray’s dedication to his profession is evident every day he comes to this park. His accomplishments as a two-time groundskeeper of the year speaks to his work ethic,” said Wahoos’ team President Jonathan Griffith. “As members of the community, it’s important for us to give back to Pensacola. We’re extremely grateful for the support they show us, so it’s only natural for our staff to do the same.” For the love of the game Sayre’s love of baseball started at about 5 years old when he played on a T-ball team in his hometown of Lexington, Ky. He went on to play Little League and high school baseball. “My dad loved baseball, so we watched baseball games together,” he said. “I was a big Reds fan growing up. Lexington is like an hour and a half from Cincinnati, so every summer we would take trips to Cincinnati. It was just fun, and I loved it.” Sayre appreciates the subtle art of baseball. “To me, a 1-to-nothing game is just amazing. I’d rather see that than a 10-to-9 slugfest,” he said. “There’s something methodical about how the game progresses through the nine innings. “There are so many decisions that could be made. It’s different than, say, a basketball game where it’s split-second decisions by a player. The manager kind of controls a lot of what happens in a baseball game.” A year after high school graduation, he landed a job with the grounds crew at the University of Kentucky. “All those years going to Cincinnati to watch the Reds, I was always kind of watching the grounds crew,” he said. “I always thought that those guys were just lucky enough to be on the grounds crew. They get to watch the games. They probably knew the players to some extent.” He earned a bachelor’s degree in horticulture, with an emphasis on turf management, from Eastern Kentucky University. While he was in college, Sayre got an internship with the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A team for the Reds. He went on to work for the Greenville and Bowling Green teams before joining the Blue Wahoos in December 2011. For the love of Pensacola “From a grounds-keeping perspective, what I like about this ballpark is that it has essentially no shade,” Sayre said. “In some of the bigger ballparks, there are going to areas, typically around home plate, where it’s not going to get the sun we get here. We have full sun, full rain and full air movement.” One thing he has changed since the stadium opened is the composition of the dirt-covered areas. “On a baseball field, the dirt areas – or the clay – are the most important areas of the field,” Sayre said. “The original dirt mix that we had was really sandy. In year one, we started amending it with clay to get it where we wanted it to be. When a guy is running and he stops, I want him to stop.” Since he’s been with the Wahoos, various schools and park groups have asked Sayre for help with their facilities. “I guess to some extent, we are the local authority on how to maintain a baseball field,” Sayre said. “People want to make their fields better, but they don’t always know which direction to go in. I am always willing to talk to someone.” [caption id="attachment_20742" align="alignright" width="300"]

Ray Sayre joins Pensacola High School baseball team on the mound that he worked on at the school's baseball field.[/caption] That was the case last fall when Craig Berryman, Pensacola High School Baseball Booster Club President, approached Sayre to help refurbish the field at PHS. Berryman’s son, David, is the team’s catcher and president. “When my son started playing baseball at PHS three years ago, I made it my personal project to try to revitalize baseball at PHS,” Berryman said. “Because PHS is an inner-city school, it has lost much of its financial support base from the local businesses. “Since we knew Ray was an award-winning head groundskeeper, if we could get his help in redoing our pitcher’s mound and home plate area, we knew it would be a top-notch product.” Sayre was happy to help. “I took over some rakes and shovels, and they had some kids there. I was there to help with the mound and plate,” he said. “They brought out some clay. I just started raking it around and essentially rebuilt their pitching mound. We made sure it was the proper slope and put in a new pitching rubber. “I put just the same effort in I would put on my own mound.” The PHS community couldn't have been more pleased with the work, Berryman said. “When Ray was finished that day, PHS had a brand new, Major League-quality pitcher’s mound and home plate area,” he said. “The boys were beaming. They were so proud of their efforts and the improvements to their field that they helped build.” Berryman said Sayre has continued to help, offering advice on everything from maintaining the grass on the field to irrigation and every aspect of field maintenance. “Though Ray is officially a Blue Wahoo, we consider Ray an honorary PHS Tiger,” Berryman said. Always looking for improvement Griffith also praised Sayre’s dedication to the community. “It was not surprising to me, knowing the type of person Ray is, for him to give up his day off and work on Pensacola High School's field,” he said. Sayre also has helped rehab the fields at Roger Scott Park, and the whole Wahoos organization is set to work on the fields at Legion Field this spring. While Sayre is eager to share his expertise, he is humble about the recognition his work has received. “We’ve won some awards, but there’s always room for improvement,” he said. He credits his success with the support he gets from team owners, Quint and Rishy Studer, along with Chief Executive Officer Bruce Baldwin and Griffith for their financial support. He is also quick to credit his staff: Assistant Groundskeeper Wes Baldwin, who works year-round, and the six guys who form the grounds crew on game days. “Awards that maybe have my name on it don’t happen without those other guys,” Sayre said. “I can have all the ideas in the world, but without them, none of it happens. Without those guys, I am not successful.”

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Wahoos groundskeeper makes fields of dreams

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