For years, the Washington softball team has had two options for its winter practices: play outside in the pouring rain or practice on an indoor football field at Dempsey Indoor.
But now, squeezed in between Nordstrom Tennis Center and Dempsey Indoor, and steps away from Husky Softball Stadium, is a gem for the Huskies. The new Softball Performance Center, which broke ground in February 2021 and opened in the fall, has changed everything for UW student-athletes and coaches alike.
The 5,500-square-foot building was completed in time for winter training and is equipped with three hitting tunnels, AstroTurf, and automatic nets that can be moved up and down to allow for infield drills.
Mortenson Construction and SRG Architects led the fully donor-funded $5.25 million project.
Washington head coach Heather Tarr said the biggest advantage of the performance center is its privacy. Although the softball team uses Dempsey Indoor frequently for full team practices, the amount of time it took to set up nets and equipment between track and field, football, and softball practices made it unfeasible for just one or two student-athletes to use the facility by themselves.
Now, the Huskies can access the Softball Performance Center at their own convenience, utilizing pitching machines and cameras that track the exit velocity of their hits.