With several renovations and upgrades made to Cowley College’s Ed Hargrove Softball Field over the past few years, the final touches were put on the facility with a state-of-the-art scoreboard having been recently installed.

In October 2019, when the committees consisting of the Cowley College Board of Trustees, athletic director Shane Larson, vice president of institutional advancement Dr. Kori Gregg and others involved with the field naming process informed Ed Hargrove of the field being named in his honor, Ed and his wife, Linda, decided that if his name was going to be on the softball field then the couple wanted the field to have a first class scoreboard that not only works, but also makes the field look better and that Cowley coaches and players could be proud of.

Ed and Linda talked to Shane Larson and Dr. Gregg about what the couple wanted to do concerning the scoreboard.

They priced scoreboards and then made a significant contribution to the Cowley College Foundation so they could proceed with the process of purchasing the scoreboard.

L.G. Pike Construction in Arkansas City, along with the maintenance team at Cowley College, did the work of installing the new scoreboard.

“Linda and I think the scoreboard looks great,” Ed said. “Even better than we expected. I thank everyone involved in the process, including Cowley College president Dr. Dennis C. Rittle.”

Hargrove coached the women’s softball team for 30 years from 1985 to 2014 when he retired. During his 30 years of coaching he won 18 Jayhawk Conference Championships, the most of any Region VI softball coach, won nine Region VI District Championships, the most of any Region VI softball coach, made nine National Softball Tournament appearances, the most of any Region VI softball coach, tallied 1,142 wins, the most in the nation by any softball NJCAA coach, tallied most wins by any softball coach in Region VI history, and earned the most wins by any softball coach in Kansas at any level at the time of his retirement (High School, NAIA, NJCAA, NCAA DII and NCAA DI).

He was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Softball Hall of Fame in 2007. He was inducted into the Cowley Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, and was presented the Outstanding Accomplishment Award in 2008 by the Greater Wichita Sports Commission. Hargrove was also the recipient of the Pride of Kansas award by the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

“A big thank you to Ed and Linda (Hargrove) for donating this scoreboard and helping put the final touches on the softball facility updates,” Larson said. “We believe these renovations done over the past four years will make the facility one of the best in the Jayhawk Conference and in the region.”

Ed said current Lady Tiger softball head coach Jenny Hoyt has done a good job of recruiting without the scoreboard and other recent renovations including a two story press box, restrooms, closed dugouts, renovated locker rooms, a concessions trailer, and a new outfield fence, but this should help even more.

“It’s turning into a nice college softball facility that recruits should want to play on,” Hargrove said.