GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Former UND baseball player and head coach Brian Kraft marked the completion of a special project on Saturday after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch from the new synthetic mound at Kraft Field.

Surrounded by former and current UND players on field, Kraft's fastball signaled the beginning of a new era for Fighting Sioux baseball as the team will take advantage of the newly installed FieldTurf on the infield at the 28-year old home of the team.

"It was truly an honor to be a part of this rededication ceremony at Kraft Field," UND head coach Jeff Dodson said. "It was also great to see so many alumni and members of the Grand Forks community come out to celebrate this event.

"This is going to be a huge step for our program, not only from a playing aspect, but a recruiting aspect as well. We also want to extend another thank you to the Grand Forks Park District and the Blue Line Club for helping make this project a reality."

The team is already taking advantage of its new infield as the Fighting Sioux wrap up their final week of team practice. The new artificial turf will also allow for the team to get outside and on the new field earlier in the spring as well.