The Arkansas State University Board of Trustees voted today to approve the installation of a turf playing surface at Tomlinson Stadium and to name the Red Wolves’ baseball field “Slayton Family Field” in honor of the Slayton Family Foundation.

A ground-breaking ceremony at Tomlinson Stadium will be held on a date to be announced at a later time, when the home of A-State baseball will officially begin its transition from a grass field to its first artificial surface ahead of the 2025 season.

The event, which will be open to the public, will celebrate the Slayton Family Foundation’s significant contributions to A-State, including a donation to the Red Wolves Foundation to provide programmatic support of Red Wolves baseball.

“This is an exciting day for our baseball program, and it wouldn’t be possible without the support and generosity of the Joe Slayton family,” said A-State Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Jeff Purinton. “Installing a state-of-the-art turf surface has been a priority for our administration and will have an immediate and lasting impact on multiple areas of our program. We want to thank the Slayton Family Foundation, our board of trustees, (ASU System Interim President) Dr. Robin Myers and (A-State Chancellor) Dr. Todd Shields for helping make it a reality.”

The new turf design will proudly display the name “Slayton Family Field” in red-and-white lettering that will appear near each baseline between home plate and first and third base. The field will feature a striped pattern with a large wolf-head logo located in center field and the block A-State logo behind home plate.

The Slayton Family Foundation was founded by Arkansas State University alumnus Joe Slayton, who was a football letterman at the school from 1976-79 and Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity member. He was twice named All-Southland Conference as a player, tabbed the starting punter on Arkansas State’s All-Centennial Football Team that was announced in 2014 and inducted into the A-State Athletics Hall of Honor in 2021.

“The Slayton family is thrilled to make this contribution and be part of an impactful project for this wonderful university, which has provided us with opportunities that otherwise would not have been possible,” said Slayton. “We are delighted to be associated with and assist the baseball program in this way, knowing it will benefit our Red Wolves’ student-athletes and coaches.”

A former member of the A-State Alumni Association board of directors and Red Wolves Foundation board of directors, Slayton currently endows three scholarships for Pi Kappa Alpha and Alpha Omicron Pi members majoring in accounting or finance in the Griffin College of Business.

When the Red Wolves take Slayton Family Field for the first time in 2025, they will be under the direction of new head coach Mike Silva. He was announced as A-State’s sixth all-time head coach earlier this year on June 11 after leading Nicholls State to an NCAA Regional each of the last two seasons.

“On behalf of our entire baseball team, I want to express how grateful we are to the Slayton Family Foundation for their tremendous support,” said Silva. “This allows us to fulfill a critical need for a new turf surface that will elevate our program in numerous ways, and we are proud that our players will now be representing Arkansas State University on Slayton Family Field.”