Like the U.S. Postal Service, the grounds crew at Nick Denes Field puts in work come rain, sleet or sunshine.

For a Friday game, the crew starts about six or seven hours before game time, with the only break they get until about 1 a.m. the next morning being the game itself.

The crew, consisting of Somerset sophomore David Jones, Fort Campbell junior Aaron Hedges and Lexington sophomore Adam Reynolds, work long hours to ensure that the players compete in the most comfortable field conditions as possible.

“We usually get here early,” Jones said. “We’ll drag up the field, water (the infield), usually rake up the home plate and the mound and make sure they’re in game condition, mow the grass and then paint the lines.”

After the game is over, they stick around the field and do some maintenance as well as washing the team’s uniforms.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the managers may arrive at the field between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m to prepare the field for the afternoon games.

Of course, not everyday is a perfect sunny day at ‘the Nick.’

“It’s a lot of work,” assistant coach Jonathan Hadra said. “But it’s just knowing what the weather is gonna do and using what we have. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that the weather in Kentucky changes every 15 minutes.”

Some days are filled with rain and winds. But at the same time, the Toppers have games to play and make-up games are hard to schedule.

“It’s stressful at times,” Reynolds said. “We don’t know how hard the rain is coming, if it’s coming and when it does start coming, how long it’s gonna last.”

We’re pretty much on the edge of our seats the whole time the rain is there.”

The managers take great pride in what they do on the field and consider the field to be one of the best in the state.

They also have seen some of the best in the country at Mississippi, Jones said.

The Rebels’ grounds crew has a staff of 20-25 people, compared to Western’s three.

But when it’s all said and done, they all get some satisfaction out of a hard days work.

“It’s relaxing,” Hedges said. “When you’re out here all by yourself it gives you time to think.”

The process is a slow one, but the crew watches the field take shape and become more than just a patch of grass with some dirt and lines on it.

It becomes a ballpark.

“Once you’re able to set back and look at it, yeah it’s great,” Jones said. “But until that point, it’s a lot of sweat and a lot of putting your nose to the grindstone.”

Reach Ryan Carey at sports@chherald.com.