FUTURE RISING: OKWU plans massive sports upgrade
Baseball, softball, soccer fields and indoor facility to be together
If he comes back for a visit in a couple of years, the Ghost of Oklahoma Wesleyan University sports past ain’t going to hardly recognize a thing.
The school is past the planning stages and into the fundraising phase for a massive sports expansion project that will literally change the face of Eagle/Lady Eagle sports.
A new complex will be built in the current area of the soccer and baseball field that will more fully utilize the vast amount of open space at that venue that faces Silver Lake Road.
The baseball field will be rebuilt to the north of where it currently is located and softball field will be added next to the baseball field.
Another historic addition at the complex will be OKWU’s first-ever track and field venue and a cross country course.
The complex — roughly a mile north of the school campus — will allow the softball team to move from its current facility to the new field. Athletic director Kirk Kelley said it’s too soon to answer questions about what will become of the current softball field (the former Chevy City Blazer complex) or how utilization of the new baseball field might impact the Eagles’ use of Bill Doenges Memorial Stadium.
The project also includes turfing all the OKWU fields, including soccer, at the new complex and installing lights for all the fields.
Spectator parking will be paved and will be much more user friendly and provide easy accessibility to all the playing areas.
But, that major endeavor is only part of OKWU’s sports facilities expansion/upgrade.
There also will be significant changes to the Mueller Sports Center on campus, affecting the quality of basketball, volleyball and wrestling training and competition.
The vision has been defined by plans for the multi-million dollar project and is now in phase one — fundraising.
“It is based on how quickly we can raise some money,” OKWU Athletic Director Kirk Kelley said. “It’s going to take a lot of people jumping in. … I would hope it would be done in one or two years. We’ll be on God’s timetable.”
According to the school website, a start goal of $3 million is set in order to begin breaking ground, with about $500,000 already pledged.
Kelley said he’s counting on athletes, current and present, friends of the teams, friends of the university and others to participate in moral and financial support.
The drastic expansion and upgrade should make OKWU a more desirable place for students to attend and for athletes to play for, Kelley added.
“It is a dream for the program,” he added. “It’s just going to benefit so many people, but will also benefit the college community and the Bartlesville community. We have big visions.”
One of them is field house project, which will include indoor fields for all-weather practice, training and locker rooms, athletic offices and extra classroom space, if needed. This venue also could be used for other university activities and community events.
Part of the Mueller Sports Complex upgrade includes enhanced access to health and wellness facilities.
For more information about gifting, visit the Oklahoma Wesleyan University website on how to give for the Eagles expansion. The toll-free OKWU phone number is 800-468-6292.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Oklahoma Wesleyan University begins process of raising money for major sports upgrade
