CENTRAL KITSAP – Unpredictable infield ball hops will be less of a problem after volunteers and county workers replaced the infield mix on field No. 1 at the Gene Lobe Fields at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds this week.

Billie Schmidt, superintendent of opersations for Kitsap County Parks Department, said the previous infield material was too sandy.

“It (the sand) causes inconsisent hardness-softness of the soil so it makes the ball bounce weird. It’s unpredictable,” Schmidt said.

The new infield mix – 30 percent clay, 30 percent sand, 30 percent silt and 10 percent “Turface” – is being installed to address safety concerns for players so they can field the balls properly. The infield dirt layer is 4-6 inches deep.

Baseball players ages 14 and up play on the field including teams from Central Kitsap High School, Olympic High school, the Kitsap BlueJackets and college teams. Tournaments are also hosted at the fields.

“We’re working on it currently,” Schmidt said May 18, adding that work was expected to be complete this week.

Cost of the work includes $10,000 in materials. The county is using in-house workers for the project. The Kitsap Public Facilities District is funding the project.

“Hopefully it’ll be a safer surface to play on,” Schmidt said.

Matt Acker, owner and general manager for the BlueJackets, said volunteers from Olympic College, the West Hills Vipers baseball team and the His Hands Lawn Care company have all pitched in to do the work.

“People should know it’s a concerted effort. This is not just the Kitsap BlueJackets or just the county,” Acker said.

“This is not just one group pushing for this … there’s a lot of people that know that this is a necessity.”

The BlueJackets posted photos of the project on their Twitter site, https://twitter.com/BlueJacketBall.

Acker said May 19 that the old infield dirt had been “peeled” off and that the new mix would be put into place soon.

Just in time, too, as region players will hit the field this week, and the BlueJackets play on it June 2.