“April 25th, the morning of, I think we realized fairly quickly that softball and soccer were a complete loss. Since the Baseball complex was larger, it took a few more hours to realize the damage. The community came together to help move forward. It took a few months to get the go-ahead on the baseball complex; you have to make sure you are doing the right thing with public dollars.” – Tommy McClelland, Louisiana Tech AD
Seven months ago, a devastating tornado tore through the heart of LA Tech’s campus in Ruston. Now, university officials presented renderings and plans for the complete rebuild of three facilities that were destroyed back in April.
“Once we got the word that we could move forward, we were already working with a state-appointed architect. We started designing new buildings and new stadiums all working towards today when we could unveil the future of those three programs.”
The overall project consists of the baseball complex (w/ indoor practice facility), soccer complex (w/ shared indoor practice facility), and a softball complex (w/ shared indoor practice facility). Construction on the new facilities will be going on concurrently and should begin after the first of the year. The end goal is for all three teams to be able to compete in their new facilities by next year (soccer – fall of 2020; baseball/softball – spring of 2021).
McClelland says even with insurance money and federal funding, Louisiana Tech will still have to fundraise to complete the projects. 
“It’s basically four levels of funding. You have insurance, the uninsured amount where FEMA comes in, the state of Louisiana is potentially in a position to provide some appropriation that has the ability to be matched by some percent by philanthropic dollars. We anticipate having to raise somewhere between $3-5 Million, but things can change and move and migrate.”
Baseball will remain in the same location as it has stood for the past 50 years while McClelland announced that both softball and soccer would relocate to the rugby field and part of the parking lot just north of the Jim Mize Track and Field Complex. The new location for Louisiana Tech softball and soccer will change the traffic flow on Bulldog Drive and the boulevard between the track and the current rugby field.
Here are a few highlights from each of the projects:
Baseball Stadium
Seating: all chair-back seats with berm seating; partially covered; capacity of approximately 2,500.
Fan Amenities: tailgating opportunities, restrooms, concessions, ticket booths, plaza entry.
Unique Characteristic: Once fans enter the concourse of the stadium, they never have to leave (bathrooms, concessions, etc, are all located within the confines of the stadium).
Baseball Facility
Includes: player locker room; coaches locker rooms; coaches offices; athletic training satellite room; team meeting room; player lounge; equipment/laundry rooms, indoor practice facility.
Soccer/Softball Facility (2 levels)
Sports: Soccer, Softball
Includes: player locker room; coaches locker room; coaches offices; player lounges; team meeting/video rooms; equipment/laundry rooms, indoor practice facility.
Unique Characteristic: The coaches’ offices overlook each of their respective fields.
Soccer Complex
Seating: a combination of bleacher seating and berm seating; capacity of 750.
Fan Amenities: tailgating opportunities, restrooms, concessions, ticket booths, plaza entry.
Softball Complex
Seating: a combination of chair-back seats, bleacher seats and berm seating; capacity of 1,000.
Fan Amenities: tailgating opportunities, restrooms, concessions, ticket booths, plaza entry.
McClelland presented renderings completed by TBA Studios, the same architecture firm that designed the Davison Athletics Complex and the new press box and suites at Joe Aillet Stadium. He also confirmed that Lincoln Builders is the contractor for all three complexes.
This story first appeared in The NightCap, CollegeAD’s evening newsletter. The NightCap delivers the day’s college athletics news in simple bullet points, giving you what you need to know in just a few lines. Get The NightCap today.