Get Corralled into the Maverick Bullpen Lounge Area
The Maverick Bullpen is without a doubt the best spot to relax and blow off some steam at the end of the day. The Bullpen has a wide variety of fun activities from video games to a bowling alley and even a TV lounge where one can take a quick nap if they are feeling a bit overwhelmed.
The bowling alley has 12 bowling lanes which are very unique to this university as Minnesota State University, Mankato, is one of the few universities in the entire state to have onsight recreational center lanes available to students at a significantly low prices on campus.
Kyle Bischoff, the new Program Coordinator at the Bullpen is very excited about the upcoming academic year and hopes to see the Bullpen used more by students as it is essentially there just for them.
Bischoff was initially a student at the university, graduating in 2012 with a degree in Business Management, but it has always been his dream job to run the Bullpen ever since he was a student.
“It really bugs me whenever I see students shocked or surprised to find out that there is a bowling alley on campus,” Bishop said. Growing up in bowling, he quickly joined the MNSU bowling team and even went on to became captain of the team.
The Maverick Bowling Team competes at the highest national level in collegiate bowling and is ranked amongst the top 25 national bowling teams. Bishop says that the bowling alley actually complements both the Maverick Bowling Team and the different bowling courses offered by the university.
The bowling alley just got remodeled with brand new monitors, giving players the ability to play a number of games apart from regular ten pin bowling, including color pin and video poker that not only take away the monotony of bowling but also integrate bowling with other games adding fun to the bowling setting.
Billiard courses are also offered on campus and there are 18 billiard tables available for students use.
The video game system was just introduced recently in the Maverick Bullpen and is already doing pretty well. Students just present their MavCards and are able to play the latest video games for free. This allows students to have fun with their friends or if they just need an avenue to let loose.
The TV lounge in the Bullpen also plays host to Serendipity Karaoke on Thursday nights, which is also very popular with students.
Renting the Bullpen goes for a relatively fair price of $175/hour and the event gets the whole space. This is beneficial to everyone as even external organizations not related to the school can use the Bullpen for any event.
“My goal is to promote the use of the Bullpen as much as possible as people can use it for events like birthday parties, corporate parties and much more,” Bischoff said.
“Our main goal is to focus on the students and provide a place for them to relax and have a good time,” said Bischoff. “We also want the community to know that we are here and we can provide various services if they require them.” The main challenge that the Maverick Bullpen faces is keeping up with technology and the new trends popping up these days.
The Maverick Bullpen aims to do more advertising within the school let students know that if they need a place to chill, then the Maverick Bullpen has the best spots ready and waiting.
The convenience of the Maverick Bullpen being on campus is also very commendable in that whenever someone feels stressed they can just stop by in between their classes, and Bischoff says that during finals week the place is usually packed.
The Maverick Bullpen has future plans of expanding but at the moment just wants to keep innovative ideas flowing and get more students actually using its services.
Education is the main goal of any college student but having fun, being active and letting loose sometimes are also very vital in everyday life. The Maverick Bullpen is a great avenue that contains all the tools to aid a student to achieve this.