Missouri Southern dedicates new baseball clubhouse

Missouri Southern celebrated the dedication of a new athletic building Wednesday afternoon.

The Rod Anderson Baseball Clubhouse was officially completed and will house a locker room, office space and meeting areas for the university’s baseball team.

MSSU says it was made possible through 100% private funding and the support of 107 individual donors. It’s part of the Athletic Excellence project within the Lions Forward Campaign.

Named after Rod Anderson, a 1976 graduate of the Plaster School of Business and a longtime supporter of Missouri Southern athletics, was honored to give back. “It meant a lot just coming here as an 18 year old and this institution gave me a chance to get a college education at a very low cost,” said Anderson. “Then following doing the service on the board and everything, getting interested in the athletic department, it got more engaged and wanted to give back to the university. And that’s what it’s all about.”

Anderson, of Monett, says this will be huge for future Lions. “Without this, we were losing some athletes and we don’t want that because it’s hard enough to keep them. I don’t think the transfer portal has that much effect on Division 2 baseball, but it’s going to come and this just gives another edge for us and we just got to stay on top of everything.”