SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- A grounds crew of about 20 people takes care of the fields for the two weeks during the Little League World Series, and it's not just Lamade and Volunteer Stadiums they are responsible for. There are seven fields they must keep in tip-top shape.
What you see on television during the Little League World Series in South Williamsport is lots of great baseball, but what you don't see is, in between the games, in the mornings and evenings, the grounds crew is hard at work.
"My focus is the stadiums. Those come first and then the practice fields second," said head groundskeeper Rob Guthrie.
Guthrie, two interns, and around 20 volunteers are responsible for taking care of seven fields during the World Series. That's a lot of pressure when the world is watching.
"I send a group to the practice fields to touch them up and rake them and groom them up. Then everything shifts up to the stadiums," Guthrie said.
It's Ryan McElroy's first year on the grounds crew. He is an intern and was forced to learn fast.
"The first day I'll admit I was pretty nervous. A nice way to break into it, we actually had to pull the tarp on Thursday because of the rain, so I was actually thrown right into it," said McElroy.
The kids tell Newswatch 16 they appreciate all the hard work to make these fields the best ones they've ever played on.
"They're just taken care of so well. It's just an incredible field to play on. It's just top of the line stuff," said Lachlan Vella from the Australia Region.
In this story
"All the grounds crew are always working on them and the dirt is just perfect. Everything is perfect so it's really good to play on," said Blake Cleary, Australia Region.
"If it's an inch too tall, they'll go in and fix the grass. It's really nice to play on," said Sam Levick, Australia Region.
There is the chance of rain in the forecast on Wednesday, so the grounds crew is ready with tarps just in case.
Check out the full Little League World Series schedule, stats, and more here.