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Stephen Watson wins Carolina League Turf Manager of the Year

Watson has won the award in all 3 years of franchise history
September 17, 2019

The Carolina League has announced that Stephen Watson, Head Groundskeeper for the Down East Wood Ducks, has won the 2019 Carolina League Sports Turf Manager of the Year. The win marks the third straight year that Watson has taken home the award.

The Carolina League has announced that Stephen Watson, Head Groundskeeper for the Down East Wood Ducks, has won the 2019 Carolina League Sports Turf Manager of the Year. The win marks the third straight year that Watson has taken home the award.

The Carolina League has announced that Stephen Watson, Head Groundskeeper for the Down East Wood Ducks, has won the 2019 Carolina League Sports Turf Manager of the Year. The win marks the third straight year that Watson has taken home the award.
The Sports Turf Manager of the Year is determined by a vote on the overall quality and game readiness of the playing surface and bullpen areas. The manager and coaches of each of the 10 Carolina League teams are asked to rank each field in the league in 11 different categories. Fields are ranked on a scale of 1-5 in each category so there are 55 total points possible per field.   The Wood Ducks received 49.63 points, followed by the Carolina Mudcats with 47 points, and the Fayetteville Woodpeckers with 46.88 points.  
"I would like to thank my crew and assistant, Logan Robinson, for all their efforts and support throughout the season. I would also like to thank the Wood Ducks front office, the City of Kinston and the Texas Rangers for their continued support." said Watson "It is truly and honor to win this award three years in a row and to have all of our hard work recognized by the managers and coaches of the Carolina League who use the field every day."
The Wood Ducks will again open the regular season at home as the team will kick off the 2020 campaign on Thursday, April 9th when they take on the Potomac Nationals. The game will begin a 7-game homestand that will also see the Woodies take on the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. The regular season home schedule will end with the Wood Ducks also hosting the Potomac Nationals on September 1st-3rd
The 2020 Wood Ducks schedule was released last week. The Home Opener is Thursday, April 9th and the entire schedule is available online at www.woodducksbaseball.com,   You can keep up with the Wood Ducks in the off-season and find out all of the breaking news for the 2020 season by visiting www.woodducksbaseball.com, @GoWoodDucks on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.