Mississippi University for Women Athletic Director Jason Trufant knows fit is paramount when adding a new sports facility to an established campus.
Trufant knows he’s found the right fit for the new baseball stadium MUW is planning. Once completed, “Owls Park” will nest between Pohl Gymnasium and the university’s Garrett Tennis Courts, which were renovated this summer. On The W’s cramped grounds, the $5 million stadium will be a “permanent fixture” to the south side of the campus.
But while Trufant and the Owls have the fit down, they’re still waiting on the funding.
The athletic director said last March in an article from the MUW Spectator that he expected to begin progress on phase one of the three-phase project 10 to 12 months later. Monday, though, Trufant admitted that the school is an estimated 18 to 24 months away from completing phase one, the largest of the three, which will comprise the field, bullpens, dugouts and lights.
Phase two (covered seating, the press box, brick pillars and a brick entranceway) will follow, with phase three (parking, a main course, bathrooms and concession stands) to finish up the project.
But neither of those can begin until phase one is done, Trufant stressed. MUW is determined to tackle the project in chunks rather than see it become “piecemeal,” he said.
“We are not trying to do this on a small level,” Trufant said. “We want to do it right.”
Fundraising remains ongoing for the project, with the school accepting donations on its website — and seeking even larger game.
“For a facility of this magnitude, it’s not really about the small fundraisers,” Trufant said.
Trufant’s timeline for the completion of phase one is subject to change dependent on the pace of fundraising, and he could not speculate on how long it would be until the project was fully completed.
But when it is, Trufant knows the impact it could have on the school and the community beyond.
“This city and this area does not have a facility of the type that we want to build,” Trufant said. “Our baseball program would benefit significantly, but our campus would also benefit significantly with the ability to host numerous outdoor events and recreational activities as well.”
The MUW baseball team currently plays its home games at Columbus High School’s home field, and an upgrade in facilities would “change the game” for the Owls’ recruiting efforts.
But the implications of a new stadium would go beyond just the team.
“It’s not just specific for the baseball program,” Trufant said. “It’s gonna help every outdoor program we have along with every recreation program we have.”
Plans for the park include LED lights, an artificial playing surface and a brick façade “will harken back to the golden age of baseball and historic stadiums of yesteryear,” according to the school’s website.
Trufant said it was inspired by the Owls’ trip to the USCAA Small College World Series in DuBois, Pennsylvania, where he got to see the allures of host side Showers Field.
He met with architect Michael Taylor of PryorMorrow’s Columbus office, and the two got to work in laying out Trufant’s vision.
“I let him know what I was thinking, and he put his artistic mind to use, and that’s what we came up with,” Trufant said. “We were just trying to have something that was not only unique for the campus but unique for the area.”
Trufant is confident MUW has planned exactly that, but he knows the project still requires a lot of work before it can come to fruition.
He’s holding one-on-one meetings with potential donors and sponsors to make sure he and the Owls’ program are equally visible to the larger community.
“The more conversations we have about it, the faster the product will come, so I encourage people to ask questions and be part of something that’s really, really, really gonna be good for the campus,” Trufant said.
And no matter how long it takes, Trufant wants to make sure his school finds the right fit.
“We owe this to our campus to do this right, and my commitment is to do it right,” he said. “However long it takes to do it right is what we’ll do, and obviously we would prefer the sooner the better, but we have full support of this campus and full support of this community, so I have no reason why we won’t have a nice product in the future.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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