Neely Field March 2019 View full image
Neely Field closeup March 2019 View full image
Neely Field 3rd base line March 2019 View full image
Neely Field home cages March 2019 View full image
LMU Dugout Neely Field March 2019 View full image
Sac Champs View full image

Dorothy Neely Softball Complex


The Dorothy Neely Softball Complex was dedicated at Lincoln Memorial University's 2017 Homecoming and opened in the spring of 2018. It is an all-turf facility and is one of the few all-turf softball fields in the area. 

In 2019 the venue played host to the NCAA Southeast Regional championship game and the 2019 Southeast Super Regional best-of-three series.

The facility features large dugouts with changing/meeting areas and restrooms for both teams (in their respective dugouts) as well as a changing area/restroom for umpires in the 1st base side dugout. There are also bullpens on each side adjacent to the dugouts in foul territory as well as full batting cages for each team adjacent to the bullpens. There is also an on-field portable backstop available for on-field batting practice, which is rare for softball.

One holdover from the former Dorothy Neely Field (1990-2017) is the scoreboard, which was installed at the old field in 2014 and moved to the current site in January 2018.

The venue features both bleacher and chair-back seating, a press box, a public restroom, concession stand (when complete) as well as offices for the LMU softball staff.

In a way, the softball team is coming home as the current site is near the location of the former home field of LMU softball (which no longer exists) from 1981-90. That site, which originally was part of the LMU farm, was in the vicinity of the parking lot on the west end of the indoor tennis facility and covered portions of land now used by the indoor facility, lacrosse complex and the Harrogate City Park.

In 1990, LMU moved to the "old" Dorothy Neely Field, which was adjacent to the Tex Turner Arena, and played there until the end of the 2017 season — see below for more information about that field.

The field is part of LMU's "Sports Valley" adjacent to state highway 63. It is part of a new slate of facilities including new softball and baseball fields, the lacrosse complex, indoor tennis facility, indoor practice areas and other new athletic facilities to be built in upcoming years.
 

Dorothy Neely Field Quick Facts
Opened Feb. 13, 2018
Dimensions  L-210, LC-215, C-220, RC-215, R-210
Turf Artificial (Fieldturf)
Capacity 250
Dugouts Enclosed with bathroom facilities in each.
LMU - 3rd base line; Visitors - 1st base line
Bullpens Open air in foul territories near respective dugouts
Batting cages Adjacent to bullpens in foul territories on both sides.
     
First win vs. Milligan (G2, 10-2) 2/13/2018
First loss vs. Milligan (G1, 0-1) 2/13/2018
First win over ranked team vs. #18 Young Harris (G2, 5-0) 2/24/2019
First NCAA Regional game hosted* vs. Anderson (LMU won 4-3) 5/11/2019
First NCAA Super Regional hosted vs. Young Harris 5/16/2019
First Pitch Brianna Taylor (Fouled strike) 2/13/2018
First putout Audrey Petoskey (strikeout by Bri Taylor - first batter of game one) 2/13/2018
First hit Ashlea Hunter up the middle vs. Millligan (G1 - 2nd inn.) 2/13/2018
First double Kaylee Frascatore (Milligan) down the left field line (G1 - 4th inn.) 2/13/2018
First LMU double Kelsie Hocutt to left field vs. Milligan (G1 - 7th inn.) 2/13/2018
First triple Jacie Pittman up the middle vs. Milligan (G2 - 1st inn.) 2/13/2018
First home run Kelsie Hocutt to left field vs. Milligan (G2 - 1st inn.) 2/13/2018
First stolen base Double steal by Kayla Baker & Madison Grindstaff (Milligan) (G1 - 3rd inn.) 2/13/2018
First LMU stolen base Justice Smith - stole third (G2 - 4th inn.) 2/13/2018
* - regional hosted by Carson-Newman but game moved to LMU due to unplayable field




 

OLD DOROTHY NEELY FIELD - 1990-2017
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"Old" Dorothy Neely Field was the home of the Lady Railsplitters from 1990-2017.

The field complex seated approximately 375 in bleacher seats, with seating behind home plate, sideline benches and open areas for lawn chairs. The dimensions were 200 feet down the lines and 215 to center field. The playing surface was Bermuda grass. Batting cages and a bullpen were adjacent to the field, and teams can also use the baseball field cages and bullpen if needed.

A press box/storage facility was completed in 2011 behind home plate, which included space for scoreboard and statistical operations as well as equipment storage and the players' dressing room.

The dugouts were enclosed, and there were safety fences in the front to help protect players, coaches and staff from stray balls. Lights were installed in 2003, and several night games were played there.

The facility hosted the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Softball Tournament in April, 2014. One highlight of that tournament was a marathon 16-inning game between Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne that lasted almost 4.5 hours. Catawba's Carly Tysinger threw 272 pitches (189 were strikes) and struck out a then-record 27 batters. She faced all but two batters as she was subbed out in the 13th and then brought back in to close out the inning. Catawba went on to win 6-3. (You can check out that game here. If you notice the pitch count for Tysinger is off, the stat software is DOS based and can only count up to 256 pitches before starting over. 256+16=272).

The Lady Railsplitters first played on the field on March 28, 1990, when they hosted former TVAC foe Milligan College. LMU won both games by scores of 4-3 and 8-5. The field was officially dedicated on May 12, 1990.

Neely Field lies adjacent to the baseball field on part of the site of the old Cooper Field, which was the home of LMU baseball and football. For many years, the baseball stands sat in what was right field. (The baseball field was located in the same spot it was at the time, but home plate was in the area that was now left field until renovations in the late 1980s rotated the field.) The visiting football sidelines were located roughly along the right field line as well and in the 1960s and 70s the tennis courts were located in the same general vicinity. The facility shared parking with the Tex Turner Arena.

With the completion of the "new" Neely Field, the old field was demolished in November, 2017 and the site re-purposed.

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