Newton’s new head baseball coach says he might not have applied for the job if the team was still practicing and playing at Woodland Park. Darin Tisdale took on the role, but says he doesn’t want to spend any more time away from home and his daughter than necessary. He coached the Cardinals freshmen team the past two years. The first year, the team practiced and played at Woodland Park. But last year, they used the new baseball field south of the softball field and H.A. Lynn Stadium. Coach Tisdale says the new facility is a time and energy saver for the coaches.

“You didn’t have to worry about raking, watering, and chalking the field before games. In the morning as a freshman coach it was a 40 minute workout. Then after the game it was another 40 minute workout getting everything tidied back up, smoothed back out, the holes filled in and the mound and home plate tamped down.”

On a game day, Tisdale says that saves an hour to an hour and a half of a coach’s time. After a practice, a coach saves another 20 to 30 minutes by not having to drag and rake the field. Tisdale says these savings were big factors in getting him to want the head coaching position.