LAS VEGAS, Dec. 9, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FieldTurf and Cal Ripken Jr. announced the winners of the 2008 FieldTurf Baseball Awards today. The announcement, made by FieldTurf executives, took place at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. Award-winners were named in four categories, including 2 college coach of the year winners and two team of the year winners. This year's winners are:
* MLB Team of the Year -- Tampa Bay Rays * NCAA Division 1-A Coach of the Year -- Mike Batesole, Fresno State * NCAA Division 1-AA Coach of the Year -- Ed Servais, Creighton University * NCAA Team of the Year -- Fresno State Bulldogs
"I am proud to be associated with FieldTurf," said Cal Ripken Jr. "They have a wonderful product that was in the forefront this year during the World Series. Congratulations to this year's FieldTurf award recipients, the Rays, Coach Batesole, Coach Servais and Fresno State University."
TAMPA BAY RAYS (MLB) -- Without a doubt, the success story of the year, the Tampa Bay Rays went from a last place finish in 2007 to first place atop the toughest division in baseball. The Rays rode their 2008 regular season success all the way to the World Series. They hosted games 1 and 2 of the first World Series to ever be played on an infilled turf baseball field at Tropicana (FieldTurf).
MIKE BATESOLE (FRESNO STATE) -- Mike Batesole entered his sixth season this year as head coach at Fresno State with one of the most impressive records in college baseball. Known as one of the best teachers of the game, Mike's 2008 squad was often referred to as the team of destiny, winning this year's College World Series, a feat that many thought impossible to predict.
ED SERVAIS (CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY) -- 2008 was Ed Servais's sixth season at the helm of the Bluejay baseball program. His .685 winning percentage is the best in school history and he has averaged nearly 40 wins a season during his time as head coach. In 2008, Creighton's team featured four all-MVC picks.
FRESNO STATE (NCAA D-1A) -- The Fresno State Bulldogs started 8-12 before winning an improbable national championship. They became the lowest-seeded team to win a national championship in college baseball and the first men's team to win a national championship for Fresno State.
The 2007 winners of the FieldTurf baseball awards were the Colorado Rockies as MLB Team of the Year, Wayne Graham from Rice University as NCAA Division 1-A Coach of the Year, Steve Lyon from Grand Valley State University as NCAA Division 1-AA Coach of the Year, and the Oregon State Beavers as NCAA Team of the Year.
The FieldTurf Coach of the Year Awards recognize a coach's dedication and hard work both on and off the field. The coaches that have been and will be selected for this award all exemplify outstanding leadership skills and enjoy well-deserved success. Special attention is given to coaches who are able to significantly improve their team's effort, performance, and overall record from previous years along with coaches who enjoy success with young and inexperienced teams.
The FieldTurf Team of the Year Awards acknowledge teams at all levels of sport that show a passion for the game along with dedication to team play. The teams that will be selected for this award will be teams that have enjoyed success and made considerable improvements from previous years within their respective leagues.
The FieldTurf system, like most winning combinations in sport, is fundamentally different from all others. FieldTurf replicates a natural grass surface, but offers the durability and cost benefits of synthetic fields. FieldTurf does not rely on an underlying shock pad for resilience and player comfort. Like its natural grass cousin, FieldTurf's grass fibers are surrounded and stabilized by FieldTurf's patented mixture of smooth, rounded silica sand and cryogenic rubber granules.
For more information, please visit www.fieldturf.com/awards