Kennesaw State University’s baseball team will begin playing this spring in the newly completed Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field. The stadium, named after alumnus Mickey Dunn, replaces the former Fred Stillwell Stadium and features expanded seating and improved amenities.
Shortstop Shamaar McDuffie expressed enthusiasm for the new facility, stating, “Honestly, this stadium is everything I could dream of. This is something we needed to give us that spark. It’s easy to play for a school that has your back, and when you have the stadium to match the team, you want to play 10 times harder and put on a show for the fans.” He added that while the team had adapted to temporary changes during renovations, their goal remains unchanged: “We all had to come together and make that adjustment. We took the same energy we had at Stillwell to the Marietta Campus, and now we will carry it to Mickey Dunn Stadium. It really hasn’t changed anything for us. We’re still working on one goal, and that’s to win.”
The upgraded venue includes a revamped grandstand with increased capacity suitable for hosting major events such as conference tournaments and NCAA Baseball Regional competitions. The natural grass field has been replaced with artificial turf featuring KSU’s “KS” logo in the outfield.
Mickey Dunn visited his namesake stadium recently and shared his reaction: “It’s just overwhelming,” he said. “To see my name up there, it’s awe-inspiring. Every inch of the stadium looks amazing and is so well-thought out. I’m particularly impressed that they’ve planned for expansion around the stadium, and we’ll have plenty of opportunities for that.” Dunn has supported KSU baseball since 2018 with a $2.5 million donation after building ML Industries into a company employing 5,000 people.
Head coach Ryan Coe noted that the new facility has already helped attract recruits: “What Mickey has done for Kennesaw State baseball with his generous gift has been incredible,” Coe said. “This has made such a huge difference already with some of the recruits we’ve talked to. The reactions we’ve gotten when we show them the stadium have been outstanding.
The impact is being felt immediately and will for years to come.”
Conference USA selected KSU as host of its 2026 tournament in May—marking KSU’s first time hosting a full Division 1 baseball championship.
Dunn expressed hope that future NCAA Regionals or Super Regionals would be held at Mickey Dunn Stadium and described pride in supporting KSU athletics: “Having my name on that stadium and knowing that I helped push this thing forward, it gives me a great sense of pride,” he said. “When you put a bunch of great people together, anything can be accomplished.”
This article also appears in Summit Magazine.
