COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — On the day of a 7:05 p.m. first pitch, West Michigan Whitecaps Head Groundskeeper Mitch Hooten and his crew are at the ballpark at 10 a.m.
"We take care of the mound, repatch the mound, repatch the plate. We also take care of bullpens," Hooten said.
Hooten and his team work to make LMCU Ballpark as close to a major league field as possible, adhering to written guidelines from MLB.
"It is mentally taxing," Hooten said. "Minor League Baseball groundskeeping is a grind. You're exhausted by the heat. You just have to go and get the job done and get through the homestand."
While Whitecaps baseball is the main gig, Hooten and his crew must also prep the field for high school games, family picnics, corporate picnics, movies and other events.
"There's a lot more that goes into taking care of this field than just showing up a couple hours before the start of a game and calling it a day."
Hooten knew he wanted to keep ballparks in pristine condition since the seventh grade, as he spent much time mowing grass around his neighborhood.
"[I] went through school, took agricultural classes as part of FFA, got accepted to Mississippi State University in their turf program."
Since joining the industry in 2009, Hooten's been state-to-state chasing his groundskeeping dream and taking his family along with him.
"I've been in Nashville, North Carolina, Mississippi, Wisconsin and I've had to drag my wife in, our girls with us too," Hooten said. "We moved up to Wisconsin and we've been in [Michigan], and that's all within the last 12 years."
Hooten's been leading the charge for the Whitecaps' ballpark for eight years, a small crew making all the difference on the LMCU ballpark playing surface.
"I don't necessarily demand perfection, but we try to achieve perfection," Hooten said.
Hooten said while his standards are high, his team never falls short of achieving them.
"I show up every day for the guys and girls on this crew. Without them, none of this. None of this would even happen."
He said he recognizes the importance of a well-kept field.
"I don't want to create a surface where one of the future Detroit Tigers could get hurt. I couldn't have that on my conscience."
The job often comes without recognition. But rarely, you have people like Emily Waldon, who took the time to recognize Mitch and his crew.
"It goes a long way, especially when fans come up to either myself or anybody that's on the crew," Hooten said. "It's someone recognizing the craft that we do out here, the time that we put in. It was nice."
For Hooten, it's Brian, Logan, London, Rick and everyone on the crew that makes groundskeeping a true work of art.
"They've all bought into what I've been preaching, selling for eight years now," Hooten said. "It's the crew that does the wonderful work that everyone sees out here when they come to the ball game."
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