Cowley College
home Men's Sports Women's Sports Tiger Sports News Schedules Tiger Booster Club Spirit Squad Danceline Staff Foster Parents Athletic Training Ambassadors Student Athletics Student Athlete Handbook Student Athlete of the Month Former Athletes Hall of Fame Store Camps Ed Regulations NJCAA KJCCC College Web Site
October 11, 2011
Coaches gearing up for opening of Travis Hafner Training Center
Travis Hafner Training Center
Benefiting all 15 of Cowley College’s athletic teams, the Travis Hafner Training Center will hold an open house Saturday, Nov. 19 from 1-4 p.m. The open house will also feature a meet and greet with former Tiger great and current major leaguer, Travis Hafner. The facility is located at 115 E. Pierce (next to City Ball Park) in Arkansas City, Kansas.
Join Tiger fans from all around as the college unveils one of the top junior college indoor training centers in the nation. The facility will feature a multi-purpose area, batting cages, weight facility, athletic training room, a pair of conference rooms, as well as locker rooms and restrooms.
Tiger head baseball coach Dave Burroughs said his team will be able to conduct live batting practice, practice infield drills, work off pitchers mounds or get work done in multiple batting cages.
“It is a one of a kind, state of the art facility,” Burroughs said. “This will enhance our recruiting and development of players. Athletes now a days are always looking for ways to be better players and this will help put them ahead of the game. It really makes it nice because rain or snow we can work out inside.”
Burroughs said the facility would not have been possible without the lead gift given by Hafner, who graduated from the school in 1997.
“For him to give back speaks volumes of his character and his love for Cowley,” Burroughs said. “This institution means an awful lot to him.”
Prior to making it to the big leagues, Hafner helped lead the 1996 Tiger baseball team to the program’s first trip to the NJCAA World Series and a record of 51-13.
He followed up the success of his freshman season by leading the Tiger baseball team to the first of back-to-back national championships in 1997. Hafner, who was named a Third-Team All-American, still holds the school-record for runs batted in in a season (82), runs batted in in a career (161), doubles in a season (21), and doubles in a career (36).
In 10 big league seasons, Hafner has belted 189 home runs, and driven in 660 runs, while batting .281. He has spent the past nine seasons with the Cleveland Indians after beginning his career with the Texas Rangers.
The baseball coaches will move their offices from W.S. Scott Auditorium to the Training Center. Along with offices, there will be a central area for the players to congregate.
“It will be like a (major league) clubhouse for the guys to hang out and build team chemistry,” Burroughs said.
The track/cross country coaches as well as men and women’s soccer coaches will also move their offices into the new training center. With the soccer/track complex right next door to the facility, women’s soccer coach Dane Straight is looking forward to being so close to where the team practices and plays its games.
“Having our offices located by the field will allow us to be able to take the time to work with athletes one on one more since we will be located so close to our field and equipment,” Straight said. “There are not many schools who have this type of training facility, let alone at the NJCAA level. Having something like this on campus will show the recruits just how much we put into our athletic programs.”
The weight room will be utilized by each of Cowley’s athletic programs including baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, softball, track, and cross country. Members of the Spirit Squad and Tigerette Danceline will also utilize the facility.
An athletic training room will also be located inside the Training Center and will feature new equipment for the school’s athletic trainers. Head athletic trainer Jeff Fluty said it will be a huge plus to have a training room located so close to the Tiger Sports Complex, which houses Cowley baseball, soccer, and track events.
“It will be much more efficient having equipment and supplies right there on site,” Fluty said. “This will give us a quicker way to provide treatment or evaluate our athletes in-game or post game.”
For Cowley men’s basketball head coach Tommy DeSalme, the weight room will be a huge benefit for his players.
“The name of the game in our sport is bigger, faster, stronger, and when you have the best facility in junior college or in the state of Kansas, it is a great recruiting tool,” DeSalme said. “When coach (Tom) Saia does something, he is going to do it right. This is typical of Cowley and why I wanted to be here.”
The Training Center will help the Tiger athletic teams in how they practice and prepare for their seasons. It will also serve as a strong recruiting tool.
Cowley College athletic director, Tom Saia, who has helped build the Tiger athletic program into one of the top junior college programs in the nation, has dreamed of having an indoor facility for many years.
"This will be a great recruiting tool not only for our student athletes, but for students as well," Saia said. “This will help put us at the top of recruiting in-state and out of state student athletes.”
For coach Burroughs, who is entering his 26th season in charge of the Tiger baseball team, the Travis Hafner Training Center is still hard to fathom.
“It is more than I even envisioned,” Burroughs said.
Fundraising for the campaign is in the final stages and individuals interested in providing a gift to the campaign can contact Ben Schears with Cowley College’s Endowment Association at 620-441-5245. Individuals interested in touring the building will have an opportunity during Arkalalah or can make arrangements through the Cowley College Endowment Association for a private tour.
Open the original version of this page.
Usablenet Assistive is a UsableNet product. Usablenet Assistive Main Page.