The William Jewell College softball team recently updated its facilities. Construction on the new locker rooms was completed Feb. 5, 2016. The locker rooms were unveiled to the team Feb. 8, when everything inside of the building had been completed and was ready for the team.
“The team’s reaction was very special as we caught it on video. I know they had a great deal of anticipation as the project was being [completed]. However, they were blown away by the finished product,” said Dustin Combs, head softball coach.
This project was in the works long before construction actually began.
“I remember back to my sophomore year, actually, when the parents of the softball team saw a need and came together and drafted up some of the things that our field was lacking,” said Morgan Olson, senior psychology and ACT-In major, communications minor and member of the softball team.
Since then, there has been a lot of work done in order to put this plan into action. The team and coaches worked hard to gain the permissions, funds and materials to build the new locker rooms.
The new facilities have impacted the team, providing them with a space to gather before games and practices, a place to bond and sometimes even a quiet place to study. In addition to benefitting the team, the new facilities have handicap accessibility, which the players find is helpful for members of their families who may need extra help getting to the field from the parking lot.
Inside of the facilities, there are offices for the coaches, bathrooms, locker rooms with cedar wood lockers, two futons, an Apple TV and a fridge.
“Our hope is that [the facilities] will be a great recruiting tool for our program on top of our already great school,” said Olson.
The team and coaches are very grateful to Dr. David Sallee, Dr. Darlene Bailey and Randy Allerwine for helping them through the planning and execution of this project.
Photos by Elizabeth Messina.