Indoor facility serves purpose

On the northern edge of Wichita State’s main campus sits the Bombardier Learjet Practice Facility.

    The 29,000-square-feet metal building houses an indoor baseball diamond, three pitcher’s mounds and retractable batting cages.

Nets line the walls and the ceiling of the building.

    It serves the university’s softball and baseball programs.

    Unlike schools in the southern United States, universities like WSU have to practice indoors due to cold weather.

    According to WSU head baseball coach Todd Butler, WSU has a “great facility.”

“This is one of the top ten facilities in the country,” Butler said. “They did an excellent job of designing it.”

Butler said the facility helps the team keep in shape.

    “We are in the Midwest,” he said. “We have to deal with cold weather. We have this facility to make up time.”

    The baseball and softball teams can almost do everything inside the practice facility. They can pitch, practice in-fielding and bat.

    The only thing it doesn’t allow is outfield defense.

    “The outfielders miss out,” Butler said. “They just hit or run bases.”

    Another feature of the facility is the banners and signs around the building that highlight the championships WSU has won.

There is also a sign that shows the players from WSU who have played in the major leagues.

The history on the walls is what senior infielder Dayne Parker likes about the facility.

“It’s great to come here and see the history of the program,” Parker said.