Using a Roller on your baseball field

FAQ - What's the best way
to tamp my baseball mound?


Do you get clay stuck
on the bottom of your tamp?

Do you have a hard time getting a smooth, firm surface when you tamp your mound? 

Does clay stick to the bottom of the tamp and make indents every time you smash the tamp down?

Here are two easy ways to tamp
with minimal sticking

  1. Use a tamp mat
  2. Use a cloth over the tamp or as a tamp mat

Here's a step by step process. 

adding mound clay to mound holes
Start by raking out the loose material from the holes left by the pitchers.  Slightly dampen the hole and the surface.  Dampen, but not soaked. This helps the new clay or your existing mound material adhere to the old and helps the dirt pack down. 

spreading mound clay in the holes
Smooth out the packing clay or your field dirt you are adding back into the holes.  It should be slightly dampened.  You can mix it with field rake also.


placing the tamp mat over the mound clay
Place the tamping mat over the area to tamp.  The mat is thin rubber or flexible foam material.  Either of these or even a towel or rag will work.


tamping on the tamp mat
Tamp on top of the tamping mat. Work around the area you filled in. Make sure your tamp is clean on the bottom. You will tamp without clay or baseball dirt getting stuck to the tamp and making indents as you use it.


flat area under the mat after tamping
Notice how the area under the tamp mat
is smooth, firm, and ready for play. 


flat and firm mound after tamping the mound clay
Here is the finished pitcher's hill after adding mound clay near the pitching rubber and in the landing holes.  By slightly dampening the material and using the tamp mat, this hill is ready for game time.  Note the pitcher checking it out by balancing all his weight in front of the rubber.


using a cloth rag as the tamp mat
A thin towel, rag, or t-shrit is an alternative to the tamp mat.  It works quite well as you can see here.  Some folks wrap a t-shirt around the tamp and tie it or tape it on.  I figure, why bother?  Just place the cloth down and tamp.

mound bricks to tamp   tamping mound bricks
Find out how to place and tamp unfired clay bricks
in your baseball field mound