A day at the ballpark fills the senses with the sounds and smells of the game. The ball pounds the leather. The dugouts hoot and holler. Popcorn drifts from tempting scent to satisfying taste with just the right dose of butter.

For Mickey Dunn, a day at this ballpark invites more than familiar sounds and smells.  A day at this ballpark sparks memory and reflection as well. 

“It’s still very surreal to walk in and see your name up there,” Dunn said of a moment at the park’s entrance. “When I was playing college baseball, never in my wildest dreams did I think something like this would ever happen.”

Kennesaw State baseball’s Mickey Dunn Stadium at Henssler Financial Field – in its inaugural season as the home of the Owls – bears the name of not just a willing donor, but of an alumnus who represents the confluence and future of two great baseball traditions.

A native of Chatsworth, Georgia, Dunn starred as a centerfielder for Southern Polytechnic State in Marietta from 1978 to 1981. As a senior with the Hornets in 1981, Dunn batted .303 and led the team with 132 at bats and 38 runs scored. 

Dunn went on to found the Texas-based automotive safety company ML Industries in 1990. As the company grew, Dunn became a steadfast supporter of Owl baseball and helped make the program’s new home a reality. 

“Mickey has done so much for Kennesaw State,” said Southern Poly alum and former baseball player Mike Samples (1962-64). “He’s made a lot of things possible for the school.”

With Dunn’s help, KSU baseball’s new ballpark was possible. A $12.3 million renovation on the footprint of the former Stillwell Stadium, Mickey Dunn Stadium includes an artificial turf playing surface, upgraded LED lighting, a videoboard, chairback seating, premium hospitality areas, large sunken dugouts and expanded bullpens. 

The 1,864-seat venue is not only the new home of the Owls, but the May 20-24 site of the 2026 Conference USA Baseball Championship as well.

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Dunn didn’t begin with this end in mind. Forty-five years ago, he was just a collegiate baseball player enjoying the game and the time with his teammates. 

“Some of my favorite memories are traveling all over the country, winning most of the games we played, and a lot of the antics that the guys would do after the games,” Dunn said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Samples and Dunn shared these memories during an April 19 reunion of the Cobb Angels, the travel summer league squad on which Samples coached Dunn. As Angels’ head coach from 1976 to 1982, Samples saw Dunn’s on-field impact up close. 

“He hustled every minute and never let up,” Samples recalled. “I’d be coaching third, and the minute the outfielder called the ball, I was going to send him. He was ready. He scored. He was good.”

While Dunn’s on-field performance certainly made an impact at Southern Poly, perhaps his greatest contribution to the program has come now, over a decade after its 2015 merger with KSU. 

“I didn’t graduate from Southern Poly, I graduated from Kennesaw State,” Dunn said of his 2018 degree. “Through my involvement with the stadium, I want to say that I’ve been a big part of connecting Southern Poly and KSU.”

Southern Poly baseball may be gone from the playing field, but through Dunn’s contributions, its winning legacy endures at KSU. 

The Hornets advanced to the NAIA World Series in 1986, 2009 and 2014. Six MLB Draft picks would come from their ranks in Jeff Battles, Mark Doll, Matt Griffin, Roger Hackett, Chris Jones and Sean Teague.

Griffin proceeded from professional baseball to eventual Southern Poly head coach and director of athletics. His Hornet teams won three Southern States Athletic Conference tournament titles and reached seven NAIA national tournaments, including the 2009 World Series. 

Nineteen of the 35 Southern Poly Athletics Hall of Famers recognized in KSU’s Hall of Fame hail from Hornet baseball. 

Southern Poly’s tradition of baseball success parallels, and now, fittingly, resides with that of the Owls. 

Once an NAIA peer of Southern Poly, KSU won the association’s 1994 national title, then built on that success to win the NCAA Division II championship in 1996 and win the 2014 Division I Tallahassee Regional – one of seven regionals the Owls have reached at collegiate baseball’s highest level. 

“I want fans to remember how we have evolved from where we were to where we are today,” Dunn said. “To evolve to this level and be playing in Conference USA, it’s just unbelievable.” 

Mickey Dunn Stadium serves as a tangible link between the dual legacies of Southern Poly and KSU, and the Owls’ future. 

Dunn is thankful to have helped forge this link, one that he feels will endure with KSU. 

“To have my name on this field, it means a lot to me,” Dunn said. “This stadium is the best of both worlds because it will be here long after I’m gone.”

The Champions Fund
The Champions Fund is a newly created, 100% tax deductible, philanthropic opportunity to contribute strategic revenue to Kennesaw State Athletics, with the goal of strengthening our ability to recruit and retain top-tier talent in this new era of collegiate athletics. Contributions to the Champions Fund will help aid in funding student-athlete recruitment and retention, as well as helping the Owls provide competitive excellence through investments in coaching, travel and facilities. The fund will also give an elevated student-athlete experience, including enhanced academic, nutrition, wellness and leadership programs. Donate to the Champions Fund here and help us support our Kennesaw State Owls.