40 SportsTurf | April 2015 www.sportsturfonline.com
John Cropp
Stadium,
university of Kentucky
Category of Submission: College Softball
Sports Turf Manager: Eric Harshman
Title: Assistant Sports Turf Manager
Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing
Experience: I started my career in the golf industry in
2005. In 2007 I made the switch to sports turf as a
game day employee with the Louisville Bats Baseball
Club. I then worked my way into a seasonal full-time
staff member position and eventually the 1st Assistant.
In June, 2011, I moved to Baton Rouge to take on
the roll as Assistant Sports Turf Manager at Louisiana
State University. In July 2013 I was employed as the
Assistant Sports Turf Manager at the University of
Kentucky.
Full-time staff: 2
Part-time staff: Three student workers during the spring
season and one student worker during the off season.
Original construction: 1996
Rootzone: Native soil (clay)
Turfgrass variety: Perennial ryegrass
Overseed: Ryegrass was seeded four separate occasions
throughout the year equaling 10 lbs/1000.
Drainage: Four 4-inch perforated sub-surface drain lines in
outfield that run from left center to right center.
FielD oF the Year
The Field of the Year Awards program is made possible by the support of sponsors Ewing, Graff's Turf, Hunter Industries and World Class Athletic Services.
