Campus Construction Update, Aug. 14, 2014: New home for Bobcat batters

Another construction project completed this summer has attracted its own share of attention: an enclosed wood-framed batting facility that should make life better for the Bates baseball team, not to mention giving the Bobcats some bragging rights in the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

The new structure is situated between the baseball field and John Bertram Hall. “It’s the only covered batting facility dedicated to baseball at any of the NESCAC schools, as far as I know,” says coach Mike Leonard.

“A lot of schools have a field house with batting cages inside, but I don’t know of anyone with a facility dedicated to batting and pitching.”

A pre-fabricated structure from Morton Buildings of Morton, Ill., the new shed is 36 feet wide by 75 feet long. Inside, enclosed in heavy-duty nylon netting, two parallel batting tunnels run the length of the building.

The exterior is clad in metal siding with translucent polycarbonate walls up near the eves that let daylight in. LED lights will provide illumination after dark, notes project manager Mike Gustin. “The fixtures themselves are a little bit more expensive, but they use a fraction of the wattage of other lamps, so eventually they’ll pay for themselves in energy savings.” Timers will turn the lights out if the batters forget.

Protection from the weather and the need to accommodate more batters led to the creation of the building, for which planning started in fall 2013. “We felt it was really important to give our kids a quality experience, a quality place to be able to train,” says Leonard.

“In a sport that’s directly affected by weather, we really need to make the most of our facilities in order to remain competitive. And also just to make it enjoyable for our players.”

The new facility will allow 10 to 12 players to train simultaneously.

Previously, batters used a stowable batting cage in the Gray Athletic Building and a small open-air cage at the edge of Leahey Field. That rig could accommodate only three or four players. “You would have 16 or so standing around and waiting,” says Leonard.

That old arrangement was also subject to pre-emption by other Gray users. Now the hitters have a home of their own.

Funded totally by donors, the project “shows our alumni commitment to Bates athletics and continuing to improve the student experience,” Leonard says. “I’m just really grateful that the college, alumni and parents support baseball the way they do, and I’m excited to let our kids get in there and keep getting better.”

The batting facility is slated for dedication on Oct. 25, the Saturday of Homecoming.