Mike Lane Field

MIKE LANE FIELD
   On March 11, 2008, the home of the University of North Alabama baseball team got a new name as the facility, long known as University Field, was renamed Mike D. Lane Field in honor of the Lions’ longtime baseball coach.
   Lane, who later retired following the 2008 season, guided UNA to 25 straight winning seasons, won 908 games at UNA and averaged 36 wins per year from 1984 to 2008.
   A huge part of UNA’s overall success under Lane was built on a tremendous home field advantage. The Lions had a 571-156-4 record at home under Lane for a 78 percent winning percentage. In Lane’s 25 years at the school, UNA won 20 or more home games 20 times, including the last eight years in a row.
Over the last 37 years, the Lions have a combined 765-254-5 record at home, including an 8-7 home mark in 2019 in the Lions' first season in NCAA Division I.
   The renovations to the stadium, which were completed midway through the 2008 season, included new grandstands, ticket booth, restrooms and entrance way.
   In 1999 the Lions won both the Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament championships on their home field and went 32-5 at home.
   Those impressive records at home were crucial in Lane’s ability to turn the Lions’ program into one of the most consistent winners in the country.
   The Lions participated in the NCAA playoffs ten times under Lane.
   In 1989, UNA hosted its first NCAA baseball event and drew record crowds to University Field to watch three Gulf South Conference schools - UNA, Jacksonville State and Delta State - battle for the regional crown . In 1995 UNA hosted its second regional, which was again an All-GSC affair with UNA, Delta State and Valdosta State, and in 1997 UNA hosted Elon and Central Oklahoma in the South Central Regional. In 1999 UNA hosted its fourth regional that included Alabama-Huntsville, Delta State and Southeastern Oklahoma State.
   UNA struggled to go 11-7 at home in 1984 but won the first GSC baseball championship in school history on the field with a sweep of Mississippi College in the championship round.
   That record has been followed by numerous impressive marks, including 21 seasons with 20 or more home wins.
   Night baseball also began at University Field in 1990, and UNA went 9-1 in home night games that season, including a 6-2 win over Division I Middle Tennessee State in the dedication game on April 5.
   The Lions also have a full tarp which has prevented several rain-outs over the years, and a new scoreboard and expanded grand-stand have enhanced Lion games for the fans.
    The UNA press box and reserved seating area were renovated in 2013 due to the generosity of the family of the late Robert E. "Bob" Stephenson. The press box now bears his name.
   UNA baseball has come a long way in the last 37 seasons, and Mike D. Lane Field is a reflection of those changes.
      In 11 seasons with Mike Keehn as head coach, the Lions are 194-98-1 at home.

MIKE LANE FIELD DIMENSIONS
330 - Left field line
365 - Left field alley
410 - Left center
385 - Center
410 - Right center
360 - Right field alley
320 - Right field line

LIONS AT MIKE LANE FIELD SINCE 1984
1984   11-7-0
1985   19-3-0
1986   21-4-0
1987   21-2-1
1988   15-8-1
1989   24-6-0
1990   24-3-0
1991   20-3-0
1992   23-6-0
1993   17-4-0
1994   26-7-2
1995   27-9-0
1996   27-4-0
1997   30-10-0
1998   24-4-0
1999   32-5-0
2000   19-4-0
2001   21-9
2002   26-5
2003   26-10
2004   26-9
2005   20-10
2006   25-5
2007   22-10
2008   25-9
2009   24-12
2010   16-11
2011   17-5
2012   28-6
2013   17-7-1
2014   14-13
2015 12-10
2016    15-10
2017    19-6
2018    22-7
Division I
2019    8-7
2020    2-4
Total    765-254-5