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CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Four Of A Kind: Ball Garners League Honor Again

September 6, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The Carolina League has announced that Senior Director of Sports Turf and Ballpark Operations Chris "Butter" Ball has been named as Co-Sports Turf Manager of the Year in the league for his maintenance of BB&T Coastal Field's playing surface. This year marks the fourth straight season that Ball has been awarded the honor, the first Sports Turf Manager in league history to own that distinction.

Last season, Ball became just the second Sports Turf Manager to be honored by the league in three consecutive seasons. This year, he shares the award with Stephen Watson of the Kinston Indians for his work on the playing surface at Kinston's Historic Grainger Stadium.

"He works tirelessly to ensure that players from both dugouts will know when they step across the white lines that they are playing on the best surface in the Carolina League," said Pelicans' General Manager North Johnson. "I am very proud of Butter and his staff and am grateful to the Carolina League that he has been honored again this year. I also want to congratulate Stephen Watson and the entire Kinston Indians organization for their incredible efforts this year."

This is another among several awards to fill the trophy case for Ball. He was honored in 2007 with the 2007 STMA/MiLB Sports Turf Manager of the Year award for having the best field in all of Class-A professional baseball. That award was issued by Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball and the Sports Turf Managers Association.

"It's truly an honor to be recognized by the Carolina League with this award again this year," said Ball. "Each year presents new challenges, and this year we had a very challenging schedule, many weather obstacles, and agronomic issues we had to deal with. This is a true testament of the hard work of my entire staff, the Braves and our front office staff for their efforts to keep the field playable through adverse conditions."

Corey Russell assisted Ball and his award-winning efforts all season. Russell graduated from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he double-majored in business administration and sports management.

"Corey has been a great asset to the staff," said Ball. "It's been invaluable having somebody in his position that you know will do a great job without watching over his shoulder. Corey has been a guy that has really taken ownership over this place. He was invaluable to the success we have had on the field this year. We had a great gameday staff from our interns, to our gameday crew. It has truly been one of my favorite years of my career."

This marks the second off-field award issued by the league to a member of the Pelicans staff this season. Pelicans' athletic trainer Chas Miller was recognized with the league's trainer of the year award earlier this week.

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