Centre baseball recently completed work on the Borland-Distler Bullpen, the newest addition to Gary Wright Field, longtime home of the Colonel baseball team.
The three-lane, all-turf bullpen sits past the outfield fence, providing a professional practice space for the Centre pitching staff and other player development activities.
Made possible through an initial gift from Gary Wright '64, the project was completed through a $35,000 for $35,000 challenge campaign, which reached its goal through donations from friends and family of Centre baseball.
"Centre baseball is excited for our latest field improvement," Head Coach Drew Briese said. "The Borland-Distler Bullpen is a professional quality work area for our pitching staff. As we continue to focus on player recruitment and development, our goals are to attract high level talent and to give our pitching staff the best space to work on their skills. The Borland-Distler bullpen will help us meet and surpass those goals.
"We are thankful for Gary Wright's continued generosity along with the many friends and families of Centre baseball who made the project possible."
The bullpen itself is just the latest in a line of recent upgrades to the facility, and is named after Wright's former Centre teammates, Mel Borland and Bill Distler.
Borland was a multi-sport student-athlete while at Centre, competing in baseball, basketball and track. Now a Professor in Western Kentucky's Department of Economics, he earned his Ph.D. from Washington University in St. Louis.
Distler was likewise a three-sport student-athlete during his time at Centre, playing baseball, basketball and football. He studied Chemistry and Math at Centre, and Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt, graduating from both programs before earning his MBA from Wash-U. He retired in 2009 after 30 years working for Leggett & Platt.
"Once again, Gary Wright's generosity to Centre College – and in particular his passion for Centre Baseball – will have a real and lasting impact on the student-athletes that come our way," Director of Athletics Brad Fields added. "Not only Gary's sharing of his treasure, but allowing us to use it in a challenge gift enabled a donor-funded, critical addition to our baseball complex.
"And true to who Gary is, naming the bullpen area after two of his teammates in Mel and Bill is fitting."
The Colonels are less than one month from beginning the season, starting with a three-game series at LaGrange Feb. 10-11. They open home play Feb. 17 with a doubleheader against Principia.