New indoor baseball facility completed

Piece by piece the Marlow baseball team’s new indoor facility came together.

The process started some time ago, superintendent George Coffman says.

“We did it a little bit at a time,” Coffman says. “The main issue was finding a place to put it because we didn’t have enough land.”

They settled on the northeast side of the baseball complex. Part of the building juts out into foul territory on the side of the third base line. With its size and location, the building is destined to receive more than its fair share of foul ball dents.

The indoor facility is versatile. With movable nets, players can practice hitting, pitching or throwing.

The pitcher’s mounds are made out of wood and sloped to the angle of a field mound.

With the unreliability of Oklahoma weather and the start of the season so early, it means a place to still practice when it is cold or rainy. No practice will ever be a complete washout thanks to the facility.

Perhaps the most compelling part of the facility is the turf. A visitor notices immediately it was once a football field. There is a reason for that, Coffman says.

“We got it from Dallas, it’s turf from Baylor University’s old football field. It allowed us to get turf a lot cheaper than we would have if we bought it new,” Coffman said.

The building is 60 feet by 100 feet with a cost of $90,000 with most of the money coming from the general fund. The baseball team also contributed through fundraisers. Most of the fundraising money went toward supplying the facility.

The accommodations may rival some small colleges and should help the Outlaws have a leg up on the competition though Coffman would not guarantee state championships.

“It’s nice for the kids,” Coffman said. “The season is coming up on us pretty quick. This is something the players and the community can be proud of.”

The softball complex will also get a facelift with a concrete pad and an awning.

“We’re still a long way from having that done,” Coffman said. “It will probably be this summer before we can finish it.”