Baseball & Softball Field Shock Pads
The Brock Baseball System is engineered to keep the game pure, better ball bounce, truer footing, less abrasion, and a cooler field from first pitch to the final out.
Why Brock Shock Pads For Baseball & Softball Fields?
It’s the bottom of the 9th, your team is down by one, batter up. The crack of the bat, the speed of the runner, the shouts of the crowd – ”GO! GO! GO!”
But the shortstop is fast on his feet, he snags the ball, with an acrobatic throw he rips it to first base and the batter
is …?!! All this thrill happens in mere seconds. Unless the surface being played on sucks.
The ball takes a weird bounce, it’s slow to run on, it’s so hot the players are suffering. Until now, this is what most traditional artificial turf brought to the game. But no more. Finally an artificial turf field specifically for baseball and softball that truly plays like natural grass.
It’s the great American sport, so it required great American innovation.
The Brock Baseball/Softball System
We Understand The Science of Baseball: True Ball Reaction
Baseball and softball are games of fractions, a ball that takes a weird bounce off the infield, slows unexpectedly on the outfield grass, or reacts differently wet versus dry changes outcomes. Brock measured ball speeds, bounce angles, and surface response on high-quality natural turf fields and used those results as the engineering benchmark for the Brock Baseball System. The goal was to create a surface that allowed the purity of baseball and softball to be unaffected by the surface, and a shock pad is a key component in achieving the natural ball reaction that makes the game play right.
Ball Bounce ratio (Scale 0-1 +)
The change in angle after the ball hits the ground. Less than “1” means a smaller outbound angle, “1” means no change in angle, and greater than “1” means a higher outbound angle
Pace Ratio (Scale 0-1)
The change in overall velocity of the ball after ground contact. A “1” means no change in the velocity of the ball after impact.
Coefficient of Restitution (Scale 0-1 +)
The change in vertical velocity of the ball after ground contact. The higher the COR, the faster the speed of the ball vertically.
Coefficient of Friction (Scale 0-1)
A measure of the friction between the ball and surface during impact. A higher COF will result in a slower horizontal ball speed and a greater change in the ball’s spin.
Brock is beating the heat problem on artificial turf
Baseball and softball are warm-weather sports, and doubleheaders on a rubber infill field in summer heat put athletes at real risk of heat-related fatigue and injury. BrockFILL can cool the field surface 20–50°F compared to rubber infill, and its lower thermal conductivity means it doesn’t transfer heat through cleats and skin the way crumb rubber does. When BrockFILL is moist from condensation or rain, the cooling effect is even greater, keeping athletes performing at a higher level for longer across a full game day.
Brock Baseball & Softball Fields are Like Playing on Natural Grass
The results gave us the road map for an artificial surface like no other for baseball/softball. And it’s a surface that performs great in both dry and wet weather conditions.
The results gave us the road map for an artificial surface like no other for baseball/softball. And it’s a surface that performs great in both dry and wet weather conditions.
Brock Baseball System is Covering all the Bases
We used all the test methods for an artificial sports surface so we could prove that the field feels natural under foot, absorbs impacts, and delivers traction like a high quality natural grass field. Plus drainage is superior to natural turf, so the game can go on even after a heavy downpour.
Better Footing on BrockFILL than Rubber Infill
We used high-speed photography on a baseball player making a cut on crumb rubber and BrockFILL. You can see the plumes of rubber and the foot sliding vs the stability of BrockFILL. The instability caused by rubber is one main reason athletes prefer to play on natural turf vs. artificial turf with rubber. Rounding the bases at full tilt requires sure footing.
Using high-speed photography, you can see how BrockFILL will provide better footing than rubber infill. In a study conducted by biomechanics researchers at Colorado State University, more foot movement and longer cleat release time was seen on turf with crumb rubber vs turf with BrockFILL. In separate testing at the University of Tennessee, artificial turf with BrockFILL showed traction forces just like high quality Bermuda and Kentucky Bluegrass natural turf.
Less Abrasion on BrockFILL than Rubber Infill
Besides field temperature, abrasion is the most common complaint from athletes about artificial turf. Sliding into bases means having a smoother surface is critical. Labosport, a premier independent sports testing laboratory, developed a test to measure the heat generated by friction as a device with the mass and speed of a real athlete slides across a turf sample. BrockFILL generated the lowest heat score, therefore the lowest abrasion, of any infill, even crumb rubber. Better yet, abrasion is even lower when BrockFILL is damp. We love raspberries, but not on the skin!
Brock Baseball System is Low Maintenance
BrockFILL is more stable than crumb rubber so it moves less during pitching and sliding. One coach stated it saved her an hour and a half daily on maintenance, so she could spend more time coaching.
Brock Improves Impact Absorption
In the case of baseball/softball, concussions are not the main event. But impacts do occur. Having a surface that offers some compliance during those amazing diving catches is good for the athlete. Landing on a hard surface like turf installed directly over stone makes you sore after a game. The shock pad not only protects the players, but is also a key component in getting the natural ball reaction from the surface.
Brock Is Made Here in America!
Baseball was born and raised as the “Great American Sport.” BrockFILL and the Series SP14 Shock Pad follow this great tradition. The Series SP14 Shock Pad is produced in Pennsylvania, and BrockFILL is grown and processed in Georgia. Other natural infills are grown somewhere else, shipped around the world for processing, then end up on your field. This is NOT an environmental choice. Local sourcing here in America ensures the quality and contaminant-free material your athletes deserve.
Better footing, less abrasion, impact absorption, and
an all-around cooler playing field.
Recommended Products For Baseball & Softball
PowerBase YSR
ShockPad Series
BrockFILL
What Coaches & Facilities Say
“We were the first complex to have the BrockFILL technology on baseball fields. It’s as natural to a grass field as you can possibly get, without the bad hops of grass fields and dirt infields.”
— Scooter Myers | Parks & Rec Director | City of Pearl, Mississippi
“Everybody that comes here is like, ‘wow you have a really nice field,’ the look of it, the feel of it, the way it plays, everyone has really complimented it.”
— Chad Lipscomb | Baseball Coach | Madison-Ridgeland Academy
Rice University | Houston, TX
Rice University’s Reckling Park is one of the most storied college baseball venues in the country, home to multiple Conference USA championships and a program with deep MLB Draft history. When the field was upgraded in 2022, Rice chose a Brock BrockFILL and ShockPad Series system installed by RS3 over ACT Global turf, covering 133,875 square feet. The installation brings the Brock Baseball System to a program where surface performance directly affects player development and recruiting, a strong proof point for what a Brock-equipped baseball surface looks like at the collegiate level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thinking about a synthetic baseball or softball field?
Talk to a Brock specialist about whether the Brock Baseball System fits your program.