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HUNTINGTON -- Marshall University officials might want to ask AstroTurf to become a Thundering Herd sponsor.As much business as the university is bringing to the synthetic grass company, it's almost as though they are already a major part of the Big Green.Earlier this week, work to lay the new surface -- AstroTurf's GameDay Grass MTO brand -- at Joan C. Edwards Stadium began, marking the third time in less than a year Marshall has put in a new surface at a complex with one more still to come."This will be our third synthetic grass field this year with soccer and the indoor practice facility, which will come in a couple of weeks," said Scott Morehouse, Marshall's Associate Director of Athletics for Game Operations and Facilities. "We worked with the YMCA to do the synthetic grass field for the infield at Rt. 2 in baseball (at the YMCA Kennedy Center)."Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick was on his way to Lexington, Ky., for a Big Green Coaches Tour event Wednesday evening, but stopped off to speak with Morehouse and take a look at the work being done to the home of Thundering Herd football.By the time the 2014-15 sports year rolls around in August, Marshall will have opened or resurfaced four major facilities in less than a year -- something Hamrick said the Herd and its fans can be proud of."We may lead the nation in the number of facilities resurfaced this year," Hamrick said.On Wednesday, crew members were finishing up the installation of the turf for the actual 120 yards of playing field. Morehouse said on Thursday and Friday the crew will compete the sidelines and perimeter of the facility.Early next week, the crew will start shaving out the inlays and logos to be inserted and stitched in. Once those are inserted, the sand and rubber infill will start being put on the surface -- possibly the most tedious task of the entire process."There's close to a million pounds of sand and rubber that will go on that field," Morehouse said. "The bags are two-ton bags and you go until you cover the entire field with it, so it's a time-consuming process."Morehouse confirmed the logo in the middle of the field will remain the same size, with the only variation being 'The Herd' will change from its previous look of block lettering to script.Other new looks for the field include a renovation to the South end zone, which includes taking out the grass hillside area and replacing it with artificial turf that will have "Thundering Herd" in script stitched into it.Below the turf will be a stone retaining wall that has already been put up. That wall will be padded for player safety, but the turf plus the retaining wall give the South end zone a much crisper look.In addition to the turf and retaining wall, Joan C. Edwards Stadium also got new goal posts.Previously, the goal posts were white and stood 20 feet high. The new goal posts are 30 feet high and are bright yellow.Weather permitting, work on the facility will be done June 8, Morehouse said. With summer camps taking place on the field June 9, there is a tight window to get work completed. If there should be any weather delays, Morehouse said there is a plan in place."If the weather is nice, we will have everything completed by June 8," Morehouse said. "If we do get some rain or storms, work around the perimeter of the field and the warning track area will move to June 28 to July 5. The field will still be completed, though. We'll be fine with the field."The resurfacing project at Joan C. Edwards Stadium replaces the nine-year-old turf that was installed in 2005.Work on turf insertion for the new indoor practice facility is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, Morehouse said. It will be the exact same turf -- AstroTurf's GameDay Grass MTO brand -- as Joan C. Edwards Stadium and Hoops Family Field at Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex.
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