CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Dr. G. Anthony Grant, Director of Athletics and DAPER Department Head at MIT, has announced a state-of-the-art facility upgrade and turf renovation of the Fran O'Brien Baseball Field and Briggs Softball Field.

Thanks to the generosity of former MIT baseball student-athlete Rick '73, SM '75, PhD '79 and Sally Charpie, the current natural grass and dirt playing surface on both the baseball and softball fields will be replaced with the installation of over 185,000 square feet of synthetic turf, including bullpens and batting cages for both programs.

"This transformational renovation will have a profound impact on our already successful baseball and softball programs, providing high-quality turf playing surfaces that will allow our student-athletes to train and compete at the highest level, while also providing additional opportunities for the entire MIT community to engage in sport and recreation," said Dr. Grant.

The turf will consist of tufted polyethylene fibers and sand and crumb rubber infill. The infill gives the surface resilience and mimics the playing characteristics of natural grass while the traditional clay areas of the fields will use similar turf, but the infill ratios will be adjusted to create a slightly firmer surface for more accurate ball roll and bounce. The facility renovation will also include the installation of new fencing and gates.

"The enhancement of these facilities represents a significant investment in the future of MIT Athletics," continued Grant. "Thanks to the generosity of the Charpies, I'm very excited to say that we can make this vision a reality."

The current natural grass and dirt fields have presented challenges during unpredictable spring New England weather and have forced a delay in the start of outdoor practices and the postponement or relocation of games due to poor field conditions. Work is currently underway at the site with an anticipated opening in time for games this spring.

The new turf field will offer improved functionality and versatility for the baseball and softball programs as well as the greater MIT campus community, including intramural and club sports and other varsity programs, while adding additional turf practice space for men's and women's soccer.

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