River Bandits Win Award for Field at Modern Woodmen Park

The Quad Cities River Bandits have been chosen as a winner of the Pioneer® Athletics 2017 Fields of Excellence® Award. The work of Head Groundskeeper Andrew Marking and his staff on Modern Woodmen Park's playing surface, was chosen from a large pool of athletic fields from around the country.
As an award winner, the River Bandits will receive a certificate of recognition and a Fields of Excellence banner that will hang at Modern Woodmen Park. The ballpark may also be featured in Pioneer's upcoming publications and annual calendar.
This award is another addition to an already impressive list of honors received by Modern Woodmen Park. In 2017, it was selected as a Top-5 Ballpark in the Midwest by Midwest Living magazine. The stadium was also recognized for having the Best Ballpark Amusement Ride by MiLB.com, being the Best of the Ballparks at the Class-A level by Ballpark Digest, and ranked as one of the 10 Best Minor League Ballparks in 2015.

On an individual basis, Marking enjoyed a notable 2017 calendar year. In addition to this honor, he was also named the 2017 SportsTurf Managers Association "Stars and Stripes Contest" winner as well as 2017 Iowa Sports Turf Manager of the Year.
The Fields of Excellence Award Program was established in 1997 and has honored over 1,011 athletic fields from around the country since its creation. Colleges, universities, high schools and parks & recreation departments from across the United States submitted photographs, letters of recommendation and application forms describing their institutions detailed athletic field maintenance program. A rigorous judging process yielded 91 winners from a large pool of applicants.
Pioneer® is the nation's leading manufacturer of athletic field marking paint and equipment. Designed for durability and dependability, Pioneer's line-up of natural and synthetic field paints, antimicrobial coatings, striping machines, high-quality stencils and athletic accessories are used by over 22,000 high schools, colleges and professional athletic organizations throughout North America.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: 2018 marks the River Bandits' sixth year as the Single-A affiliate of the World Series champion Houston Astros and tenth anniversary season since regaining the River Bandits moniker, which in 2015 was voted a top-8 nickname in all of Minor League Baseball. The River Bandits anchor the Quad Cities sports market, which The Sports Business Journal named the top minor league sports market in the country in 2015 and second-best minor league market in its 2017 follow-up ranking. The River Bandits' charitable donations reached nearly $600,000 in 2017, including a $100,000 cash donation to Genesis Health Systems, an all-time record. In 2015 and again in 2017, the River Bandits earned Ballpark Digest's award for "Best Charitable Works" in Minor League Baseball, the only club to win that coveted award twice. For more information, visit www.riverbandits.com or contact Andrew Chesser at (563) 324-3000.