After almost a year of work, planning, and fundraising, the baseball locker room in Dorough Field House has finished a renovation.

“We revealed the locker room to the team yesterday and it was a huge hit,” said Head Coach Dan Giordano. “Lots of smiling faces and very happy student-athletes.

“Best comment of the day [came] from a freshman player, ‘Coach this is going to help with recruiting so much.'”

Director of Facilities and Planning Lance Knight oversaw the project from start to finish, and it wasn’t only a new coat of paint. The former baseball locker room space was increased by retrofitting some adjacent storage and auxiliary offices and incorporating them into the locker room.

“The primary reason for the locker room renovation was the student-athlete experience here at OU, and a desire to make it better,” Knight said. “In general, we have recognized the need to maximize and enhance space in our athletic areas and this transition was at the top of the list. For a roster size of 55, the old baseball locker room was just not big enough to accommodate that many student-athletes comfortably.”

“What we really wanted to accomplish beyond a new locker room for a single sport was to create a new standard for these types of spaces that can be a model for future enhancements for our other sports here on campus.”

While baseball was the first to see a remodel, Knight and the athletics department anticipate more upgrades on facilities in the future.

“What we really wanted to accomplish beyond a new locker room for a single sport was to create a new standard for these types of spaces that can be a model for future enhancements for our other sports here on campus,” Knight said.

Director of Major Gifts John Carr also worked with Giordano to solicit donations from baseball alums to add finishing touches such as wall graphics, embroidered furnishings, and audio and video equipment. Each individual locker now features a lockable compartment, separate storage for footwear, and a foldable stool.

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