TCU Dedicates New Baseball Facility

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FORT WORTH – The TCU baseball program hosted a dedication ceremony Friday for the new G. Malcolm Louden Player Development Center for Baseball.

“We are so incredibly thankful to the Louden family for their support and generosity,” said head coach Jim Schlossnagle. “Our new player development center is the premier facility of its’ kind in all of college baseball. The opportunities it creates for our players and the versatility of instruction it allows for our coaches is endless. In my 25 years of college coaching, it is the finest facility project that I have ever been associated with.”

The new building, situated where the home bullpen used to reside in left field, features a brand new hitting facility and a Field Turf practice area. The hitting facility alone is a 9,000 square foot area and includes four 80 foot long cages as well as indoor pitching mounds, a tee and toss area and the latest in video analysis software. The cage system will allow the coaching staff to maneuver the nets to allow for as many as eight players to hit at once or to set the facility up as one large cage for pitcher vs. hitter simulated games.

“Malcolm Louden has been an unbelievable friend and supporter of our athletics program,” said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Chris Del Conte. “We truly appreciate his generosity in making our new Player Development Center for Baseball a reality. Malcolm has always had a special place in his heart for our baseball program. This new facility, combined with our Big 12 championship and second College World Series appearance in the last five seasons, will continue our momentum under head coach Jim Schlossnagle. We are truly grateful to Malcolm for his passion for TCU and enhancing the student-athlete experience in our baseball program.”

Along with the hitting facility, a new Field Turf practice area has been installed down the left field line. This area will be used primarily for individual defensive improvement for all players as well as practice in the areas of base running, sliding and bunting.

TCU will open its fall practice session Tuesday, Oct. 7.