There is no place like home.

UCLA softball is far too familiar with the sentiment since its stomping grounds, Easton Stadium, completed a makeover ahead of the 2026 season.

The stadium, which has been home to the Bruins, was named after James L. Easton, a businessman and philanthropist who graduated from UCLA in 1959 and helped fund the program.

With decades of history as the home of the winningest collegiate softball program, the Bruins have cultivated success at Easton Stadium.

And when a stadium possesses a rich history, a proper staff is needed to maintain it.

“We are very elite,” said redshirt junior catcher Alexis Ramirez. “The history of our program is the best in the NCAA, and I think that we deserve, as a program and for the history that it has, to receive some upgrades. Hopefully, one day we can see a big Easton Stadium that towers over.”

Kirt Bakos is in his first year as the director of athletic grounds for the Bruins.

Bakos has a background that includes years of groundskeeping work, first with the Milwaukee Brewers and then the Green Bay Packers at County Stadium. Bakos later earned the director of grounds position at FedEx Stadium, now named Northwest Stadium, for the Washington Commanders. This was followed by work for the Boston Red Sox, Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center and the USA Rugby men’s and women’s teams.

But he decided to make the switch to the collegiate level when the head groundskeeping position opened up at UCLA.

“I thought long and hard about applying … but I thought UCLA was worth it,” Bakos said.

After Bakos took over the position of head groundskeeper Sept. 2, he prioritized proper renovations that many believed the stadium deserved.

Maintenance began with a new drainage line down the right field line, preventing excess water from flooding the bullpens.

The crew also removed 25 tons of material from center field to correct how the outfield sloped towards home plate, a rather unusual trait for softball fields.

Trees behind the outfield wall also had roots that extended under the outfield grass, before being removed. Bakos helped put 50 tons of sand on the ground, which was then leveled and graded. Bermuda grass was installed, replacing the former greenery’s decadelong mark.

Although renovations were made to preserve the field, the athletes reaped benefits as well.

“Last year, when we’d get ground balls, it would snake. There was just weird movement to it … but this year, seeing that improvement, it just makes it a little bit easier on us outfielders,” said sophomore outfielder Rylee Slimp.

Bakos also updated the lights, which can now illuminate light shows to celebrate home runs and provide greater visibility for players.

“One of the huge things we got this year is the lights,” Ramirez said. “We got completely new lights up throughout the stadium. … Now we can see Jordan (senior Jordan Woolery) and Megan’s (senior Megan Grant) home runs hit the trees.”

And as the 2026 campaign commences, the Bruins may find a deeper appreciation for home-field advantage.