SURREY – Dragging hoses through the outfield will be a relic of the past for groundskeepers at the Surrey baseball field.

With financial support from the Minnesota Twins Community Fund Grants program, Surrey was able to install an $11,400 outfield grass irrigation system this summer for its baseball field.

“The biggest benefit is for the kids,” Surrey baseball coach Bruce Mack said. “We are going to have a pretty solid baseball field to play on. It’s great when you get rain. But, when you don’t get rain in North Dakota, things get pretty brown, pretty quick.”

The Minnesota Twins’ grant matched $5,000 of the funds raised by the Surrey baseball community. The project ended up costing more than the originally planned $10,000, but the Surrey baseball community covered the difference.

The Fields for Kids grant program provided by the Minnesota Twins offers financial support to improve baseball and softball facilities for youth in the Upper Midwest and Southwest Florida.

According to its website, the program has granted more than $4.3 million to improve nearly 800 Upper Midwest and Southwest Florida ball fields since its inception in 1999.

“It’s been a long time coming and a long project,” Mack said. “There are always improvements to make, and I like to keep things going when we have upgraded so many things out there since I’ve got here a long time ago. That’s part of the fun.”

The outfield irrigation system joins an ongoing list of improvements for the Surrey baseball field, which has seen a new scoreboard and updated bleachers in recent years. The next project on the list is replacing the worn-out dugouts.

But, for now, Mack and Surrey baseball community will enjoy its latest upgrade.

“We have hosted multiple state Babe Ruth tournaments and regional American Legion tournaments, and stuff like that,” Mack said. “In the middle of July, when we haven’t had rain in a couple of weeks, that makes it awfully tough. You are pulling sprinklers and hoses, and that is nonstop. You never quit doing it because you can’t catch up. So, this will make that so much easier. Set it on a timer, and it’s going to water and take care of itself.”

MSU women’s golf second at Tracy Lane Memorial

BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Minot State women’s golf team competed at the Tracy Lane Memorial in Bemidji, Minnesota, on Monday and Tuesday. The Beavers finished second overall, shooting an 89-over 665.

MSU finished second on each of the first and second days, shooting 337 on Day 1, and 328 on Day 2. The Beavers top three golfers all finished in the top ten overall, all tying for seventh. On Day 1 the Beavers had four of their top five shoot under 90 and on Day 2 all five shot 89 or better to contribute to the 9-stroke improvement.

Alexandra Demko and Katherine McGlenen each shot 83 on Day 1, and 80 on Day 2. Miriam Dumes shot an 82, then improved by one stroke on Day 2. All three of these women finished in a tie for seventh place, shooting 19-over. Kira Dereniwsky and Kaitlyn Hill rounded out the squad finishing at +32, and +38 overall.

MSU is back in action Sept. 14 in the Bearcat Fall Invite, hosted by Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri.

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