UNLV mascot Hey Reb poses on a second-level patio overlooking the baseball field during the grand opening of the Anthony and Lyndy Marnell III Baseball Clubhouse at UNLV Monday, March 7, 2016.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016 | 2 a.m.
Less than a year after gathering a few hundred feet away to announce a new clubhouse for UNLV baseball, a similar group reconvened for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday as the Rebels officially opened the Anthony and Lyndy Marnell III Baseball Clubhouse.
Situated down the right field line at Earl E. Wilson Stadium and covering about 10,000 square feet, the two-story clubhouse will serve as a one-stop shop for the team. The locker room, study hall and entertainment room are downstairs, then upstairs will be an indoor batting cage and weight room — those will be finished shortly — that lead to a patio overlooking the field with a Strip view in the distance.
“This is a significant investment into this university and this program, and it’s going to do wonders for this program,” said UNLV President Len Jessup.
Anthony Marnell, the president and minority owner of the M Resort, played baseball collegiately at the University of Arizona before a brief pro career, but it was growing up in Las Vegas where he first fell in love with the game. Marnell told the crowd Monday about remembering all of the people back then who tried to help grow the game in Vegas, and now he wanted to do the same because of the positive impact he’s seen it have.
“There are a lot of kids who have gone on to get an education because of their abilities through baseball, and the education now is carrying them through their life,” Marnell said. “… That’s what’s most important.”
Marnell donated $2.75 million to get it built, with UNLV paying an estimated $750,000 for project-related costs. Former Rebels manager Tim Chambers, who resigned following a DUI arrest, coached Marnell at Bishop Gorman High, and their relationship helped bring this idea to reality, something current Rebel manager Stan Stolte reminded the crowd.
“I’d like to thank Tim Chambers, who, when he took this job five years ago, was determined to get this thing up and going, and now it’s happened,” Stolte said.
In the future, the Rebels hope their new home will help gain new ground in recruiting. For now, they want to keep getting settled in and shake off a 3-6 start to the season.
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
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