Norfolk Tides to do field makeover at Suffolk Youth Athletic Association

The Norfolk Tides will send their grounds crew and front office staff to Suffolk Youth Athletic Association to make over their baseball field. This comes after winning a contest held online on the Tides website, where the league earned the most votes by fans.

The Tides will head to the field on Tuesday May 3, and will be there from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The renovations will include regrading the field, leveling the field and then topping it with turface. The staff will also be redoing their bleachers by providing the league with fresh wood.

Since the inaugural renovation in 2012, the Tides have renovated 15 local fields: Eason’s Crossroads (Gates, NC), Ocean View Little League (Norfolk), Smithfield Recreation Association (Smithfield), Bennett’s Creek Little League (Suffolk), Phoebus Little League (Hampton), Shore Little League (Nassawadox), Cradock Little League (Portsmouth), Little Creek National (Norfolk), Gloucester Youth Baseball (Gloucester), Surry County Pony Baseball (Surry), Deer Park Youth Field (Newport News), Plaza Little League (Virginia Beach), Thalia/Malibu Baseball (Virginia Beach), Churchland Little League (Portsmouth) and Albemarle (North Carolina).

The project is made possible thanks to the Tides Youth Baseball Fund, a program established by the Tides in 1990 as a way to raise money for youth baseball and softball programs in Hampton Roads. The Youth Baseball Fund is partially financed by scoreboard announcements at Harbor Park throughout the season, and those wishing to make a donation directly to the Youth Baseball Fund can do so via norfolkides.com under the “Harbor Park” section.

The Norfolk Tides are in the middle of a two-week road trip and just finished a six-game series at Gwinnett. Tomorrow, the Tides head to Nashville for the first time in franchise history. They play at 7:35 p.m. ET from Tuesday, May 3 through Saturday, May 7. The series finale between Nashville and Norfolk will be at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sunday May 8 before the Tides head back to Harbor Park to host Memphis on May 10 at 6:35 p.m.