Daybreak now has its field. This is what fans will see when the Bees start playing

SOUTH JORDAN – There are still a little less than six months until the Salt Lake Bees swarm into their hive, but team ownership celebrated a major milestone toward completion of the upcoming Daybreak Field at America First Square.

Daybreak Field now has a field. Members of the Salt Lake Bees grounds staff have been installing the ballpark’s new playing surface over the past few days. Gail Miller, owner of the Larry H. Miller Company, and other important dignitaries gathered Wednesday afternoon to ceremoniously roll the final section of the field to where first base will be constructed.

The ceremony came three days before the first anniversary of a groundbreaking celebration to mark the start of construction on a new home for the Bees, who left Smith’s Ballpark in Salt Lake City at the end of last season.

“It’s only fitting that almost a year later – instead of turning over soil – we’re planting this grass,” said Michelle Smith, president of Miller Sports + Entertainment, the owner of the Triple-A franchise, as construction crews continued construction the stadium around them.

The Bees’ season opener won’t take place until April 8, 2025, but by mid-October the new playing surface could essentially be installed in order to be ready for opening day.

This is because it takes some time for the turf to settle before it is ready for regular play activities.

“It comes in 2-foot-wide rolls and — for the safety of the player — we want everything to fit together,” said Brian Soukup, director of field operations for the Salt Lake Bees. “We also need it to put down roots so we have that stability.”

The journey began at the end of July. Okland Construction completed a flat surface and turned it over to the Salt Lake Bees ground crew so they could install the field’s drainage system before adding the dirt and infield mound, Soukup told KSL.com.

The groundbreaking ceremony came from Washington. Installation began Monday and was completed just in time before temperatures dropped due to an approaching storm. The colder it gets, the harder it is for the grass to establish itself before the start of the season.

Crews will continue to treat the grass and use 100 tonnes of topdressing sand to protect the grass over the winter. But with the turf now installed, it’s now easier to understand what watching Salt Lake Bees games at the 8,000-seat stadium will look like starting next season.

“It doesn’t feel like a construction site anymore,” he said. “It feels like a baseball field and I’m excited for next year.”

The outfield dimensions will actually be similar to Smith’s Ballpark. Both the right and left field walls are 345 feet from home plate at the foul line, which extends to 420 feet in center field – almost the same distance as the old ballpark. The lanes are 385 feet from home plate.

The biggest change on the field is that the home and away bullpens will be behind the left field wall, allowing the first and third base seats to be moved a little closer to the field. Most seats will be closer to the action overall, especially for those with tickets to the field-level suite behind home plate.

Of course, views have been fans’ biggest concern since construction began on a new ballpark. Smith’s Ballpark was revered for its views of the Wasatch Mountains, making it one of the best settings in all of minor league baseball.

Daybreak Field is not as close to the mountains as Salt Lake City, but the new field, like its predecessor, slopes to the east and offers scenic views of the Wasatch Mountains. Fans will notice that the view looks slightly different and the views of Mount Olympus in the middle are swapped with Twin Peaks. There is also a distant view of Mount Timpanogos to the right, while a video board to the left may obscure some of the other peaks.

Fans sitting on the top level will notice more peaks and views of the southern end of the Salt Lake Valley, adding to the aesthetic. There’s still a lot of construction work to be done before it opens in 2025, but those behind the project believe Daybreak Field will provide a similar attraction to Smith’s Ballpark for that reason.

“Although there are many new amenities, one thing hasn’t changed: the best view in baseball,” Smith said.