Properly laid out and constructed baseball fields are paramount to successful game play. Constructing a baseball field from scratch can be an exciting group project that does not require a high level of expertise. Knowing a few basics and having some appropriate tools are all that are necessary to build your own field.
The instructions in this publication are designed to help set up a field on an area of ground that is already relatively level and open. In addition to the field set-up requirements, keep in mind that a quality turfgrass playing surface for a sports field must have (1) adequate water drainage, (2) properly designed, installed, and maintained irrigation systems, and (3) a sound maintenance program to address turf and clay conditions. A properly designed field must also have the necessary field equipment (for example, bases and pitching rubber) and surrounding structures, such as fences.
Figure 1 provides an overview of basic field dimensions. Details of how to lay out a field to those dimensions are described in a stepwise manner in the following section. If you can follow those 12 steps, you can build your own field of dreams. A few tips and suggestions are included with the steps. Some basic tools and supplies are needed to complete this project (Table 1). Tools include shovels, rakes, two measuring tapes, a small sledgehammer, and a tamp or roller. Supplies include stakes, string, paint (inverted aerosol spray cans), a pitching rubber, bases, base anchors, and a home plate. Extra hands and optional equipment (Table 1) will make the project go much faster.
Table 1. Tools and Supplies for Building a Baseball Field
Tools | Quantity |
---|---|
Flat shovel | 2 |
Edging shovel | 2 |
Steel rake | 2 |
Landscape rake | 2 |
200-foot measuring tape | 2 |
Small sledgehammer | 1 |
Tamp | 1 |
Roller or vibratory tamp (optional) | 1 |
Yardstick | 1 |
Laser pointer (optional) | 1 |
Sod cutter (optional) | 1 |
Levels (string, torpedo, and beam) | 1 |
Supplies | Quantity |
---|---|
Stakes | 5 |
Aerosol paint | 2 |
Chalk box and chalk or aerosol line marker | 1 |
Roll of string (at least 350 ft) | 2 |
Pitching rubber | 1 |
Bases and anchors | 3 |
Home plate | 1 |
Packing (mound) clay (optional) | ~ 3,000 lb |
Infield mix (optional) | variable |
Baseball Field Layout: Basic Steps
- Start with a flat, open area. It is best when first and third base are level with home plate. Ideally, the open area will have a dense stand of turf or conditions that will support a dense stand with minor renovation. If that is not the case, plan a turf establishment and management program to coincide with the construction of your ball field (see AG-746, Carolina Athletic Fields: A Guide to Maintaining Quality Turf on Athletic Fields). It is helpful to mark out the components of an infield with paint (as described in several of the following steps) so that you can visualize the field before you actually start removing turf.
- Placement of home plate determines a field’s layout. If possible, locate home plate so the pitcher is throwing across the sun and the batter is not facing the sun. It is best if the line from home plate through the pitcher’s mound and second base runs east to northeast. Be sure to plan for some type of backstop to contain stray pitches and to protect spectators from foul balls. If it is a backyard locale and spectators are not likely to be sitting behind the batter’s box, planting shrubs about 60 feet behind home plate may help contain errant balls (a 60-foot distance is the minimum required for high school and college fields).
- Using the apex of home plate (its back corner), mark a 13-foot radius using an aerosol paint can tied to a piece of 13-foot-long string that is anchored to a stake (Figure 2). A screwdriver makes an excellent stake for this purpose. After marking this circle, return and use a shovel or sod cutter to remove the turf within the line. Infield mix or native soil can be used for building the home plate area.
- Next, locate second base. Measure from the back tip of home plate to a distance of 127 feet and 3 3/8 inches (see Table 2 for recommended distances between bases for different leagues). Mark the endpoint with a wooden stake; when installing bases, this point will be the center of second base.
- With the tape measure still in place, it is easiest to go ahead and mark the location of the pitching rubber at this time. To align the pitching rubber, run a taut string through the center of second base and the apex of home plate. Mark the center of the pitching rubber (12 inches from the edge) with a permanent marker. The front of the pitching rubber should be 60 feet and 6 inches from the home plate apex. For Little League or softball (fast or slow pitch), the distance to the pitching rubber (from home plate apex) should be 46 feet. The taut string should run through the middle of the pitching rubber (ink marks). To make sure the pitching rubber is square with home plate, measure from the front corners of home plate to the front corners of the pitching rubber. The distances should be the same if the plate and rubber are square to each other.
- Find first and third base by using the two measuring tapes. Stretch one tape from the second base stake toward the first base line. Stretch the second tape from the back tip of home plate toward the first base area. The point where the two tapes cross at the 90-foot mark will be the back corner of first base. Repeat this step to find third base. A baseball diamond is a 90-foot square. For Little League or softball fields, use 60 feet rather than 90 feet for each base mark.
- First and third base fit within the square, but second base is measured to the center of the base bag. An improperly placed second base is one of the most common mistakes made when setting up a baseball field.
- If desired, a “cutout” or “slide area” around the bases can be established. Mark a 13-foot radius from the outside far corners of first and third bases and from the center of second base with an aerosol paint can tied to a 13-foot-long string. Then use a sod cutter or shovels to remove turf. Infield mix or native soil can be used for building the slide area. You can leave the base paths grassed or turn them into "skinned" paths. Softball normally uses a skinned infield.
- Next, turn your attention to the pitcher’s mound (Figure 3). The diameter of a pitcher’s mound clay is 18 feet. The center of the mound is 18 inches in front of the rubber. The front of the mound should be 10 1/2 feet from the rubber’s front edge, and the back edge of the mound should be 8 feet from the back of the rubber. The top of the mound consists of a plateau that is 5 feet wide. A regulation pitcher’s mound is 10 inches high (compared to the level surface of home plate). Miscalculation of pitcher’s mound height is probably the second most common error in setting up a baseball field. A field level is best for setting the height, but in a pinch, other methods may also work. One option is to use your stakes with taut string, a string level, and a ruler. Another method is to use a pocket laser pointer device held level on the pitching rubber pointed toward a ruler at home plate. Read the height at the point where the laser hits the ruler. A standard pitcher’s rubber is 24 inches by 6 inches.
- Build the mound from the ground up, 1 inch at a time, keeping in mind the mound’s slope (see Step 11). To improve the cohesion of each successive layer, use damp material and scratch each previous layer with a steel rake before adding more material. Tamp or roll each layer of added soil.
- To build the “face” or front slope of the mound, begin 6 inches in front of the pitcher’s rubber, and measure toward home plate. For every 1 foot of distance, the slope should fall 1 inch (until the slope meets ground level). Keep the ruler and a level handy as you build. Building and maintaining a quality pitching mound is not cheap or easy and will require 3 to 4 cubic yards of soil or infield mix. Mound construction prices will increase if “packing” or “mound” clay is used in the high-wear areas. Portable mounds are available for purchase and should be considered if labor is limited and the field will host different youth age groups.
- Finally, establish the foul lines and erect something to serve as the foul poles. Run two string lines (one down each foul line) from the apex of home plate along the outside edges of first and third bases to the outfield fence. The string lines should be taut and should just touch the outside edges of first and third bases. Place the foul pole on the inside of the foul line.
Field Playing Surfaces
Baseball and softball are the only major sports played on fields that have both turf and exposed soil for playing surfaces. Because about 66% of the game is played on the infield, skinned areas should receive as much attention as turf areas. Clay management is similar to turf management in that it is difficult to write a maintenance program for all infield skinned areas due to diversity among infield soils.
Use “packing” or “mound” clays—soil mixes with a significant concentration of clay—in front of the rubber and in the pitcher’s landing area of the mound and in the batter and catcher’s boxes on the plate. These soil mixes provide necessary stability and resist degradation from increased traffic. An ideal material will be about 40% sand, 20% silt, and 40% clay. Be sure that individual components are evenly distributed throughout the material. A number of companies sell special mixes to use in constructing pitching mounds and batter and catcher’s box areas; these are highly recommended versus mixing your own.
A quality infield material will have a lower concentration of clay than “packing" clay. The infield skin should be moist and firm, not hard and baked dry. To achieve firmness, an infield mix should not be too sandy. An infield mix with greater than 75% sand causes unstable footing for players and increases maintenance problems. A sandy infield will create low spots more quickly and is more likely to create "lips" at the infield skin and turf interface. Ideally, the infield mix should be between 50% and 75% sand and 25% to 50% clay and silt. A proven successful mix is 60% sand and 40% combined clay and silt. If more firmness is desired, contact a reputable field builder to amend your infield skin with a soil having higher silt and clay content. If the mix contains too much silt and clay, compaction, hardness, and water management will become problems.
Outfield Fencing
After building your field of dreams, you may want to erect an outfield fence. The distance from home plate to the outfield fence varies with the level of play. Be sure the fence design you select will be safe when a player comes into contact with it, whether at its bottom, body, or along its top edge. Confer with league officials for the correct placement of an outfield fence and recommended data listed. Refer to Table 2 for a summary of distances for the bases, pitching rubber, and outfield fence.
Field Use | Base to Base | Pitching Rubber to Home Plate | First to Third or Home to Second | Home to Outfield Fence |
Baseball | 90 ft | 60 ft 6 in. | 127 ft 3 3/8 in. | Varies |
Little League | 60 ft | 46 ft | 84 ft 10 1/4 in. | 180-ft radius |
PONY League | 75 ft | 54 ft | 106 ft 3/4 in. | 250-ft radius |
Babe Ruth League | 90 ft | 60 ft 6 in. | 127 ft 3 3/8 in. | 300-ft radius |
Softball (Fast or Slow Pitch) | 60 ft | 46 ft | 84 ft 10 1/4 in. | 185- to 300-ft radius |
Female Fast Pitch Softball | 60 ft | 43 ft | 84 ft 10 1/4 in. | 185- to 235-ft radius |
Publication date: May 23, 2025
AG-725
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