When it comes to the field of play what areas are the most essential and have the highest usage? You got it right. It is the baseball pitching mound or the softball pitching circle. While many stadiums and fields are changing to artificial turf, it is very rare to see a turf pitching mound/circle. Clay Pitching Surfaces are here to stay and that is why it is extremely essential to learn the best way to maintain your clay pitching mound.

If you have worked with clay pitching mounds, you know how much of a pain they can be. In major league stadiums, there are teams of field maintenance workers making sure the mound and field are a perfect playing surface. We understand that the majority of fields and facilities do not have that luxury. Clay pitching mounds can take a lot of labor in order to get them in game condition and that is why we are here to talk about all the best tips and tricks to maintaining your pitching mound. If done correctly, this can save you hours of time, hard labor, and stress.

Equipment/Tools and Materials

When it comes to getting the job done right, it always starts with having the right tools and materials. When it comes to clay pitching mound maintenance, quality is everything and that is why I only use the best clay products and tools.

Recommended Equipment/Tools:

  • Push Broom
  • Grading Rake
  • Square Shovel
  • Watering Can
  • Tamp
  • Tarp

*You can pick up any of these Equipment/Tools at your local hardware store or Home Depot*

Recommended Materials/Supplies:

For proper clay pitching mound maintenance, you will minimally need a fine packing clay mixture as well as a conditioning product. I would also recommend that you stock up on condensed clay packing bricks as well as a quick drying product. While you will not use the latter products as much, they can be very helpful in a pinch.

I highly recommend Turface Athletics or MAR-CO Clay when it comes to choosing a mound maintenance supplier. They both provide a wide variety of high quality as well as cheaper products.

Fine Packing Clay:

My recommended choice of a fine packing clay is MAR-CO RediMound. This fine clay mixture is a loose clay mixture but also holds moisture. This allows it to be highly malleable while remaining firm and durable. This combination is excellent for repairing and maintaining a pitching mound.

Conditioner:

My recommended choice of conditioner is Turface Athletics MVP. This product is used as a topdressing for any clay surface; batter’s box, infield, or pitching mound. It is essential as it is a larger product that resists being compacted, absorbs, and controls moisture levels. Conditioners are highly effective at helping play through incremental weather and keeping the clay surfaces from getting too wet in order to keep them safe and playable.

Clay Bricks:

My recommended choice of clay bricks are MAR-CO RediBricks. This product is essential in the construction of any clay pitching mound. It creates an excellent foundation for the mound and is highly effective at repairing damaged or worn area. Due to the density of the product it is very durable and will allow repairs to last.

Quick Dry:

My recommended choice of quick dry is Turface Athletics Quick Dry. This product is highly specialized in order to soak up moisture. In a situation in which the field or mound is too wet, apply quick dry products to the wet areas or puddles. Rake the quick dry products into the clay and then remove the soaked mixture from the playing surface in order to remove the moisture. I recommend to avoid using this technique unless completely necessary. Applying and removing quick dry will soak up and remove puddles but will leave behind a mess that needs a large amount of work in order to repair.

Clay Pitching Mound Repair: Step by Step Instructions

cleaned clay mound

Step 1: Find the damaged/worn areas of the mound and sweep all the loose clay off,
exposing the top hardened layer of mound clay. The worn areas will most likely be on the “table” of the mound and towards the front end of the mound, where the pitchers land.

watered clay mound

Steps 2-3: Water the worn areas of the mound before spreading loose mound clay in the targeted areas. Before you can add new clay you need to prepare the mound to bind with the new clay. Use a sharp tool, shovel, or rake, in order to scour/loosen the hardened clay.

dressed clay mound

Step 4: Evenly spread the mound clay in the targeted areas. You want to put clay roughly a half inch above where it should rest after it gets tamped down. Keep in mind the slope of the mound or lack there of depending on where you are repairing the mound.

tamped clay mound

Step 5: Tamp new material until it is completely firm and put to the right height and slope that is required.

Finished Pitching Mound

Step 6: Lightly push broom the loose clay/ mound conditioner mix back over the fixed areas in order to make the mound game ready.

Step 7: Cover the mound with a tarp, to protect the mound from incremental weather.

*These steps work the same for both a baseball pitching mound as well as a softball pitching circle but you must keep in mind the different regulations between the sports.*

Clay Pitching Mound Regulations

While maintaining and preparing a clay pitching mound can be complicated, the sports of baseball and softball are very kind to us by keeping regulations uniform for most age groups and competition levels.

Baseball Pitching Mound:

  • Pitching mound measures 18′ in diameter.
  • The pitcher’s rubber is a white slab measuring 24″ by 6″ and a measurement of 60′ – 6″ between the front of the pitcher’s plate to the backside point of home plate.
  • The “Table”, or flat area on top of the mound, measures 5′ by 34″ with the pitcher’s rubber resting 6″ from the front of the “table”.
  • After the “table” ends the slope of the mound begins. Every 12″ the mound height will decrease by 1 inch.
  • The slope of the mound should be blended evenly throughout the mound in all directions creating the safest playable surface.

*Baseball field dimensions are standard across youth leagues aged 14 and older, high school competition levels, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and Major League Baseball. For further field regulations please refer to the rules and regulations by the NCAA and the MLB.*

Softball Pitching Circle:

  • The Pitching Circle is a circular area with an 8′ radius, measured from the center of the front of the pitcher’s plate
  • The pitcher’s plate measures 24″ by 6″ and with a measurement of 43′ from the back of home plate to the front of the pitcher’s plate.
  • The pitcher’s plate will be level with the playing field. There is no slope on a softball “mound”.
  • The pitcher is restricted to the pitcher’s lane, while delivering a pitch. This lane extends from the end of the pitcher’s plate in the direction of the inside edges of the inside corners of the batter’s box. This lane extends 8′ to the edge of the pitcher’s circle.

*Softball field dimensions are standard across high school competition levels and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. For further field regulations please refer to the rules and regulations by the NCAA.*

Clay Pitching Mound Construction

Clay pitching mound construction is a very difficult task that requires hours of labor from trained individuals. If you are planning on constructing your own clay mound from scratch, I urge you to take the time to research and plan accordingly before undergoing this endeavor. Being prepared with knowledge, equipment, and an excess of clay materials/supplies is essential to constructing a clay pitching mound correctly.

Turface Athletics provides a detailed and extremely helpful document. Highlighting everything you need for constructing a clay pitching mound, step by step. If you are in need of direction and instruction, please refer to the information provided by Turface Athletics.