The G. Malcolm Louden Player Development Center is officially in use, and the TCU baseball team is already taking full advantage of the 9,000 square foot facility.
The facility opened for the first time last September and is named in honor of TCU Trustee G. Malcolm Louden.
Head coach Jim Schlossnagle said the team is blessed and the new center has already played a huge role in team development.
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“It’s been a game changer for the development of our players,” Schlossnagle said. “We’re very grateful for Mr. Louden and what he did for us.”
The center features a new batting cage system with 80 foot long cages. The system allows the nets to be maneuvered where eight players can hit at once, or to set the facility up as one large cage.
“The other cages were a lot more small,” junior shortstop Keaton Jones said. “We can do pitching and in-field stuff as well.”
A Field Turf practice area for individual defensive improvement was also installed down the left field line.
Associate Athletics Director Kim Johnson said every small improvement helps and being able to secure a donor for the new facility was extraordinary.
“It’s certainly going to make them better,” Johnson said. “They can use that facility without missing practice.”
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Senior pitcher Preston Morrison said the new facility is most convenient on days when practices would normally be cancelled due to the weather.
“Well, especially on days that it rains we can go in there and get that work done that we may not usually be able to get done, especially in inclement weather,” Morrison said. “It’s just awesome to see that the community and the school is just so committed to this baseball program.”
Schlossnagle said the team has an open door policy for his former players. Ex-Horned Frog players Matt Carpenter and Jason Coats are around almost every day using the new facility.
“If you come by here on any given day you’re going to see 10 to 12 professional players,” he said. “For a young TCU player it’s good to see the finished product.”
Schlossnagle said there are also plans to build an alumni locker room after the season while the other baseball facilities undergo renovations.
