STMA, MiLB announce Sports Turf Manager of the Year award winners

The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) honored four field managers with the 2014 Sports Turf Manager of the Year award.

Since 2004, STMA and MiLB have honored members who manage fields in Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A and Rookie divisions. Three of the four honorees are multi-year winners.

Award winners include:

• Triple-A – Joey Stevenson, Indianapolis Indians (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Double-A – Brock Phipps, Springfield Cardinals (Springfield, Mo.)
• Single-A – Keith Winter, Ft. Wayne Tincaps (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
• Short Season or Rookie – David Yearout, Spokane Indians (Spokane, Wash.)

“The Minor League Baseball Sports Turf Manager of the Year award is a dedication to our members who have an intense passion to provide the finest playing surfaces,” says Kim Heck, CEO of STMA. “Each day, they face new challenges and these devoted individuals consistently create novel solutions to provide pristine and safe sports fields.”

Stevenson is being honored for the third time, also winning in 2011 and 2012. Phipps is also a two-time winner (2008, 2013).

Winter will collect back-to-back awards, claiming his first in 2013. Yearout is a first-time recipient.

Winners are selected by a 15-member awards committee, compiled by STMA. Each nominee is independently scored on cultural practices, game day routine, resource utilization, staff management and the groundskeeper’s involvement and support of the sports turf industry.

STMA will present awards to recipients at the annual Major League Baseball Winter Meetings awards luncheon on Dec. 8 in San Diego, Calif.