Every game day, Voyagers groundskeeper Colton Nelson arrives at Centene stadium early in the morning to start his game-day field preparations. It’s a tiring job, but someone’s gotta do it.
“Usually around 6 a.m. we’re coming in, mowing the field, getting all that stuff done, making sure that there’s no dead spots or flooded areas or anything like that, and that usually goes to 1 o’clock in the afternoon,” Nelson said.
In 2010, Nelson was stationed at Malstrom Air Force Base here in Great Falls, where he served seven years. Now in his “retirement,” he spends his time taking care of Centene.
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“I played baseball for a long time, and I’ve always kinda been into agriculture and stuff like that, and I’ve always admired the field, and small-town baseball,” Nelson said. “I just kinda saw the field and learned a lot about how they maintain it and all the working parts that go into it. It’s so much harder than you think it is, but it’s also very fulfilling.”
The amount of stuff that has to get done before game time can often be overwhelming.
“We’re usually just doing the same thing [to the field]. We’re watering it really well, tilling it up, taking care of any last second things, and during a big seven-game home stand, it’s an every day, round-the-clock job.”
As tedious as it made be, Nelson said it’s a great reminder of his time in a baseball uniform, and helps him understand why field maintenance matters.
“When I was a player, I didn’t really appreciate it as much as I do now, but there’s so many working parts that go to it, and it takes a full team, a full staff to make sure the show happens every day,” he said.
But the pride he feels looking at his work is simply incomparable.
“Before every game, I standup behind the dugout and look out over the field, and just knowing that I had a hand in that when they take the field, for a split second I’m like a little kid again, just watching baseball, and I love that. It’s one of those things that never ever gets old and I’m really blessed to be here.”
