The large lot between Pohl Gym and Garrett Tennis Courts on the Mississippi University for Women campus is vacant except for an uneven gravel parking lot.
Two years ago, then-athletic director Jason Trufant predicted the first phase of the construction of Owls Park, The W’s planned baseball stadium, would be complete on that site in 18 to 24 months, and that was a revised, more conservative estimate.
“Then COVID hit,” The W President Nora Miller said, putting a stop to fundraising.
“I started off 2020 speaking at Rotary clubs, Exchange clubs, Kiwanis clubs all over the state,” Miller recalled. “In January and February, I was hitting two or three a week.”
In-person fundraising pitches were out. As athletic director Jennifer Claybrook put it, the priority became “to keep our campus and community safe and give an excellent academic experience during the pandemic.”
With restrictions loosening around the nation, Miller said it is time to resume fundraising for Owls Park.
“Now that baseball season is starting up, this is a good time to get some people and talk about what our vision is and what it’s going to take for us to get there,” Miller said, saying Owls Park is still a priority. “We’re starting to get back out there. Jennifer is going to be meeting with a couple of groups this week.”
The university’s athletics website has a page soliciting donations, but Miller said little has come from that.
“Donations are going to have to come through personal appeals,” she said.
One source of ballpark funding will not be the state.
“As we went back into athletics, we knew that people would be looking at budgets and where resources were going, and we are trying not to use state bond money for this,” Miller said, adding that the parking lot, which will be used by students in nearby classroom buildings, could be an exception.
But the bulk of the $5 million price tag — “Hopefully, the supply chain issues will be resolved by the time we are ready for construction, and the current spike in materials prices will subside,” Miller said optimistically — will come from fundraising orchestrated by the Mississippi University for Women Foundation. The university does not have a separate fundraising arm for athletics.
“If there is somebody that has an interest in athletics, they will put that person in touch with Jennifer or the coach of that program, so any fundraiser will go through our foundation,” Miller said.
Miller was The W’s chief financial officer when plans for Owls Park — which have not changed, she said — were announced, while Claybrook, director of athletic communications Dave Beyer and baseball coach Scott Mularz were employed elsewhere. Although they inherited the plan, each has embraced it enthusiastically.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but we’re ready to do that work,” Claybrook said.
The Owls baseball program has had some success on the field, wherever that field might be. The W went 23-11 in 2021, placing third in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series in DuBois, Pennsylvania.
Columbus High School was the Owls’ “home” field last season, as it was since the program began in 2017-18. Miller said the university paid the Columbus Municipal School District $9,100 per year to use the baseball facilities and $6,400 for improvements, including batting cages. Over the years they used the field, the Owls spent an additional $2,564 for field upgrades.
Scheduling issues this year led The W to look elsewhere. Enter Heritage Academy, where athletic director and interim headmaster Sean Harrison said his school was approached by the university previously, but an agreement couldn’t be reached.
“Our contract with Heritage is for $10,000 for the use of their baseball facilities, and we agreed to pay for and construct a first base bullpen not later than Feb. 20, 2022,” Miller said. The estimated cost of the bullpen is $3,000.
Add it all up, and The W will have spent $58,364 through this season to have a place to play baseball. But not having a home is the major reason the Owls have only eight home games on their 42-game schedule. So while $58,364 is a lot less than $5 million, it’s not a permanent solution.
Just ask assistant athletic director and softball coach Buddy Foster. Like most of the athletic department, Foster was not around when the Owls Park plans were released, but he knows the advantage his program has in Don Usher Field.
The softball team has never had a losing season, going 71-51 over four years. The Owls reached the USCAA championships three times; the event was not held in 2020.
“The biggest thing, I believe, is the facility,” Foster said. ”I think that’s the biggest draw. We’re really blessed.”
And that’s what Miller, Claybrook and the entire athletic department hope Owls baseball coaches and players will be able to say in the near future.
“We want to have a first-rate facility,” Miller said. “It might take us longer to get there than we want to, but we don’t want to settle.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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