BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU and WKU Athletics held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Soccer/Softball Complex on Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of the state-of-the-art facility.
The complex will serve as home to both the soccer and softball programs, with dedicated locker rooms, offices, training turf with batting cages, athletic training and nutrition space, and a team room/classroom.
"When I came to WKU in 2017, I quickly became aware of the resource constraints faced by some of our student athletes – forcing our soccer players to change in the softball team's dugouts and our softball players to stand in line to use our public restroom during games," WKU President Timothy Caboni said. "I knew they deserved more. They deserved better.
"So, today, I am incredibly thrilled to celebrate with you a new facility that forever transforms the operations of the WKU Women's Soccer and Softball teams. A much-needed space equipped for training, for studying, for team meetings. An extraordinary complex that elevates the play of our current Hilltoppers while, at the same time, elevates WKU's ability to recruit future athletes to our Hill."
Guests in attendance, in addition to Caboni, included WKU First Lady Kacy Caboni, WKU Athletics Director Todd Stewart, WKU Softball Head Coach Amy Tudor, WKU Soccer Head Coach Jason Neidell, Board of Regents Chair Currie Milliken, Regent Doris Thomas, Regent Gary Broady, Regent Shane Spiller, Regent David Brinkley, Regent Melissa Dennison, Regent Sam Kurtz, Warren County Attorney Amy Milliken, along with several WKU student-athletes and supporters of WKU Athletics.
The 11,000 square foot space – which was funded primarily from the exit fees of teams that left Conference USA in recent years – is a major upgrade from the spaces the teams previously had. The WKU Board of Regents approved the construction of the new facility in April 2022, and a groundbreaking ceremony for the complex was held Aug. 30, 2022.
"The Soccer/Softball Complex began as a dream, then became a vision, then gained momentum at our groundbreaking ceremony last August, and today it becomes a reality," Stewart said. "The completion of this complex now marks over $14 million we have invested into our sport programs since 2014, and in 2025, upon the completion of our new press box and the Hilltopper Fieldhouse, we will be in the best position from a facilities standpoint in the history of WKU Athletics."
Both teams previously had locker rooms away from their playing fields, with WKU Soccer's being located in Houchens-Smith Stadium and WKU Softball's in E.A. Diddle Arena.
Tudor and Neidell have both been involved with their respective programs since their start.
Tudor has been the WKU Softball Head Coach for the last decade, and was also a three-year captain as a catcher during her playing days, helping get the program off the ground as a member of the inaugural team.
The Hilltopper Softball program, which began in 2000, has been to three NCAA Tournaments and won a CUSA Tournament championship as recently as 2021 – a tournament that was played at the WKU Softball Complex. WKU has hosted several high-major softball teams, including matchups with No. 12 Arkansas and No. 19 Indiana last year, and No. 5 Alabama the year before – a 3-1 Hilltopper upset in front of a record crowd of 1,512.
"I once stood in this same spot, which was a parking lot, as an athlete watching our field be constructed," Tudor said. "Oh, how I remember how exciting it was when it was completed. It was a special day, not only for our field to be completed, but for the start of our program.
" ... The facility is a first for our program, and how awesome for our current student-athletes to train, to get treatment, to watch film, and to be able to call this beautiful building home. We are a hop, skip, and jump away from the field. It doesn't get any better. We are elated with the possibilities this presents to elevate our program with our current student-athletes, and the ability to draw great talent to WKU to win championships."
Neidell is the only coach the soccer program has known in its 23 seasons of existence. He's led the Lady Toppers to a Conference USA East Division title as recently as the spring of 2021, and WKU has also claimed regular-season conference titles in 2013 and 2007 as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
"Fast forward 20 years (from the start of the program), and look where we are now," Neidell said. "Look at what we can show to recruits. Look at the office space that we have to sit down and meet in. Look at the film room. The locker rooms are absolutely luxurious. We are so blessed and so grateful for the opportunity to have these facilities for our current student-athletes and to showcase to future student-athletes. We have come a long way in 23 years."
The new facility will help enhance WKU's competitiveness in recruiting, retaining talent and training members of its athletic programs so they can continue to be competitive both in Conference USA and on the national stage. The project is a part of the overall university plan to provide relevant spaces for student-athletes across WKU's campus.
"Last year, we opened The Commons at Helm Library; we enjoyed year two of our First Year Village; and we broke ground on our new Gordon Ford College of Business building," Caboni said. "And this year, we will complete our Hilltop Restoration Project; break ground on the indoor fieldhouse and press box; continue planning for the upcoming $30 million renovation of our iconic Cherry Hall; and begin work to complete the other half of the First Year Village.
"The new WKU Soccer/Softball Complex that we celebrate today, as well as the Hilltopper Fieldhouse and press box coming down the road, will benefit our students, our athletics programs and our university for years to come."
