| |
| Lea Kungle
& Gene Wild Softball Fields
After nearly three years of planning, development and construction Wild Field was dedicated in the fall of 1998 in conjunction with the recognition of the Lions' 1998 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association championship-winning softball squad. The majority of the facility's construction was donated by Missouri Army National Guard, 203rd Engineer Battalion. Gene Wild served on the Foundation Board at Missouri Southern for many years. She is an avid supporter of Missouri Southern athletics, and continues to support the college in a variety of ways. Gene Wild Field has a grass outfield, and the fence is set at 210 feet. The Lions made Gene Wild Field their home facility in 2000, and defended the facility well, posting a near-perfect 13-1 record that season. In four seasons on Gene Wild Field, Missouri Southern is 77-33. Overall, Missouri Southern now holds a 259-81 record at home.
Constructed at a cost of $20,000, Lea Kungle Field was dedicated March 20, 1986, as the Lions split a doubleheader against Northwest Missouri State, 1-0 and 1-4. The longest winning streak on the field is 21 games from April 25, 1990, when the Lions swept Northeastern State University 5-1 and 3-0, to March 11, 1992, when Southern downed Southwest Missouri State University 5-0. The streak included a perfect 16-0 campaign in 1991, one of two perfect seasons the Lions have enjoyed at Lea Kungle (the other coming in the form of a 15-0 record in 1995). In 1996, expansion of the softball facility at Missouri Southern began. The facility now includes Gene Wild Field, a press box, concession stand, restrooms, and lights. Its fields are used for the Lions' tournaments and Missouri Southern intramural competition. The vast majority of the expansion work was donated by Missouri Army National Guard, 203rd Engineer Battalion. Lea Kungle Field was named in honor of the wife of Arthur Kungle, a former Missouri Southern regent from 1964-90, and an avid sports fan. It has a grass outfield with the fence set at 225 feet. |
|
Lea Kungle and Shirley "Gene"
Wild Fields are the homes of the Missouri Southern softball teams.
Lea Kungle Field was
completed in the fall of 1985.