Portolite game mounds create savings, efficiency for St. Louis athletic complex

Director of Field Operations Clay Keeney first stepped on the field with Affton Athletic Association as a player at just 7 years old. Over the years, he’s remained tethered to the game he loves through coaching, selling sporting goods and years of league play.

In 2019, his career came full circle – back to Affton, where he now guides operations at the facility, which includes 11 playing fields.

A critical part of Clay’s role is ensuring Affton is at the top of its game when it comes to equipment.

“When I arrived in 2019, we had three different mound manufacturers on our fields,” he said. “Some of these mounds were close to 500 lbs. In between games, we’d have four or five people lugging these mounds across fields on a dolly. It was a nightmare.”

Making matters worse, the mounds couldn’t be stored inside because of their size and weight. Exposure to the elements allowed dirt inside the mounds. Some were also ripping. That resulted in costly repairs and continual maintenance.

“Large facilities like ours need to be efficient between games,” said Clay. “Our coaches and field staff need game mounds that are lightweight and easy to transition field to field. And our players deserve the best out there.”

That’s when Portolite took the field. Clay has seven two-piece Portolite game mounds in use at the Affton complex, four 10” mounds and three 6” mounds. And he’s not stopping there.

“My goal is to get Portolite on every field,” he said. “These mounds are super lightweight. It takes half the staff to move them between games. Set up is so much quicker. And we can store them in our sheds on our existing metal rack system!”

When it comes to playability, Clay finds Portolite’s versatile design supports the needs of players of all ages – 8U to adult. The mounds help grow the skills of young players and stand up to the wear and tear of older teams.

“Portolite is getting nothing but high praise at Affton,” he said. “Getting more Portolite mounds on our fields is just a no-brainer.”

Photos courtesy of Affton Athletic Association.

Portolite Pitching Mound’s 10-year limited warranty says it all. Portolite has set the standard in lightweight, durable and portable pitching mounds since 1992.