DURHAM, N.C. — The minor league baseball season is just a couple of weeks old, as future Major League Baseball stars are competeing at all levels in the minor league system.
In Durham, at the home of the Bulls, the top prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system don't become future MLB MVPs without having a good field to call home.
The Durham Bulls Athletic Park is where the Bulls play, and once in a while, where Triangle college teams compete when the Bulls are on the road. The field is just one step below that of the major leagues, meaning it needs to be in the best shape possible at all times.
As both college and minor league baseball players aim to make it to the show, N.C. State alum Dylan Hendricks was aiming for something else while he studied turfgrass management.
"Reason I love doing ground work is to see everything get finished. Seeing the final product every day right before the game starts is pretty amazing," said Hendricks, head groundskeeper for the Durham Bulls. "Got a perfect playing field, cut the grass with design in it every day, grooming the infield lines, making sure it's all straight and perfect."
Hendricks cuts the grass and shapes the field whenever it is needed. One slight bump in the grass and the ball takes a bad hop, impacting a fielder's chances of making a play.
The sound of freshly cut grass is music to hear. The same applies to the work done in the infield, with Hendricks implementing as much precision as a batter who drops a bunt. The 22-year-old N.C. State grad details the dirt to perfection.
"It's cool seeing the next stars come and play, and then they're playing on my field, and getting it ready for them is pretty cool," Hendricks said. "Just seeing them play and as they grow and getting into the big leagues is pretty cool."
His job with the Bulls is his first in professional baseball. His mentor, Cameron Brendle, is in his 13th year and also graduated from N.C. State.
Like any true ballplayer, he too has had to rise through the ranks of the minor leagues, having started with the Kannapolis Intimidators back in 2011. Now, he serves as the Bulls' director of operations and grounds. He's a mentor to Hendricks, who happens to hold Brendle's prior job.
"Dylan has definitely learned a lot of things from over the years, being his boss and teaching him things on the mound, plates, infield skin, moisture, mowing, all that stuff," Brendle said. "So it's definitely a way to come in and be able to learn, just be teachable and things like that."
In Brendle's years with the Bulls, he's seen loads of talent rise through the Rays' farm system, coming and going to and from Durham. The relationships he and Hendricks build with the budding stars are one of the many reasons they both plan on staying in Durham for years to come.
Brendle says the Bulls are always looking to add at least part-time groundskeepers. The link to apply can be found here.
Those interested in the N.C. State turfgrass management program can learn more here.