Gene Dalton | The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech horticulture student Willie Townsend rakes down the pitcher’s mound at Christiansburg High School as part of his turf management class.

It was one of those bitter, blustery days that announces each year that winter is coming. And that baseball is months and months away.

Yet it was on such a day earlier this month that students in the Agricultural Technology Program at Virginia Tech took to the Christiansburg High School baseball field, toting rakes and shovels with America's pastime on their minds.

Students in the classes fundamentals of turf grass management and golf and sports turf management taught by professor Sam Doak spent two hours working on the field. One class of about 18 volunteered in the morning and another class of 30 volunteered in the afternoon.

"It's my second time out here," said John Lindsay, a sophomore in the two-year program. Lindsay is in both classes. "We've been digging out the home plate mound and raking and shoveling. We're just trying to make it look good."

The baseball field was unsafe and in need of improvements, according to Christiansburg High School baseball coach Tim Dunkleman.

The Tech students inserted clay bricks in the home plate area, pitcher's mound and bullpen where the pitchers warm up. Dunkleman said the clay bricks prevent wear and tear to the field.

The students also edged out the back side of the infield where grass was overgrown, and they removed troublesome sod that Dunkleman said required a lot of heavy lifting.

"They made it a regulation field. They made all the measurements accurate," Dunkleman said.

Doak said he encourages his students to serve the community as much as possible. Community service is part of his students' lab grade.

"With agricultural technology, we really try to do a lot of practical activities," Doak said. "It's one thing to read about it, another thing to go out and do it."

Agricultural technology is Tech's only two-year program, leading to an associate of agriculture degree. All students are required to complete a 12-week internship during the summer between their first and second years, and assignments usually involve work with the Virginia Tech farms or the Agricultural Research and Extension Centers, private farms, landscaping companies, golf courses, sports fields or agricultural businesses. Many students in the program who graduate with a 3.0 grade-point average or higher go on to pursue a four-year degree program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Dunkleman is thankful for the students' hard work.

"I'd say we probably saved a couple thousand dollars to have that many kids doing that many things," he said.

Over the past two years, the baseball field has seen a number of improvements: a 15-foot fence in the right field, an elimination of a hill that was in right field, a new scoreboard and a newly graded and sodded infield.

Beyond parents, teachers and players, civic and professional groups also have donated their time and equipment.

"The community has stepped up big time with improvements to our facility. It's amazing what the town of Christiansburg will do in support of our athletes," Dunkleman said.