ALVA, Okla. – With the 2018 Northwestern Oklahoma State University baseball season in full swing, the Ranger Dugout Club is currently in the middle of a push for new and continuing members to the organization.

The purpose of the Ranger Dugout Club is to help supplement the budget for the Ranger baseball program. Over the past year, the club has raised nearly $10,000 in new membership, helping provide nearly $18,000 to the Ranger baseball program.

Funds from the club help the program in many ways. They have provided monies to help update the Northwestern baseball facilities into one of the best overall Div. II facilities in the region. One of the most recent success stories, with the help of donor Jim Dunning, was the dedication of the Dunning Performance Center located in the old Armory on Thunderbird Road.

“I am astounded at the facility and program improvements that have been made since the inception of the Dugout Club,” first year Northwestern baseball coach Ryan Bowen said in the club’s brochure on RideRangersRide.com. “Glass Family Field at Myers Stadium is the premier baseball facility in our conference and region.”

“The recent addition of the Dunning Performance Center, a state of the art indoor hitting facility and weight room, has taken our program to new heights in NCAA Division II baseball. These incredible facilities will help us attract the top talent from our region, enabling us to put together recruiting classes that will get us back to winnings baseball.”

Bowen went on to say the facility upgrades the Dugout Club helped make possible will help the student-athletes develop their skills year-round.

The Dunning Performance Center is also utilized by the NWOSU softball, soccer and golf programs.

There are five different membership levels, starting as low as $25, with various gifts depending on the level of donation, including two passes to the Dugout Club box at Meyers Stadium.

The club also sponsors the Ranger Dugout Club Brit Shuck Memorial Scholarship Endowment. The current recipient of the scholarship is senior RHP Tyler Bernhardt. The endowment is a separate fund than the fund from the membership.

You can find out more about the Ranger Dugout Club by visiting the baseball page on RideRangersRide.com, and the scholarship endowment by contact the Northwestern foundation office.