MONTICELLO, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Monticello Athletics Department is excited to announce that the baseball and softball programs have new lights for the 2025 season.
For the first time in the history of both programs, with baseball playing as early as the 1930s and softball’s inaugural season in 1996, UAM will have night games on campus. In the preseason, state-of-the-art lighting was installed at Weevils Field at Union Bank Park and the Alvy Early Softball Field at Ryburn Park.
The lights were manufactured by GeoSport Lighting Systems, which is based out of St. Gabriel, Louisiana. GSL was one of the first companies in the country to offer complete plug-and-play LED sports lighting systems and has a resume of multiple NCAA facilities in the SEC, Big 12, PAC 12, ACC, and multiple other college conferences. Examples of former clients include Baylor University (SB), Clemson University (SB), McNeese State’s (BSB, SB, & TEN), UAM rival Southern Arkansas University (FB), and more.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how excited we are about having lights on our baseball and softball fields,” said UAM Athletic Director Hud Jackson. “This is a project that not only will impact the University of Arkansas at Monticello, but it will have an impact on the entire Southeast Arkansas region. There’s nothing like night baseball and softball. We now have the ability to host regionals, super regionals, and travel baseball tournaments during the summer. The economic boost that it will give to Monticello and our region will be outstanding. We are grateful for all of the donors of our Legacy Campaign. Without them, the lights would have never happened. We hope people will see all of the positive projects happening at UAM within our athletic department and want to be part of those projects.”
The Legacy Campaign is the next big step for UAM Athletics which focuses on enhancing the support of student-athletes through major facility improvements. The five-phase project is built around improving the quality of facilities our exceptional student-athletes and prospective student-athletes deserve.
Alongside Southern Arkansas, GSL also upgraded the football stadium lights of fellow Great American Conference member Oklahoma Baptist University in 2019.
“We are so very thankful for the addition of lights to Alvy Early Field at Ryburn Park,” said Head Softball Coach Kyle Lem. “Thank you to Dr. Doss for her commitment to improving the student-athlete experience. Thank you to Coach Jackson and the staff for having the vision to improve UAM Athletics and the tireless work of fundraising to make that happen. Thank you to all those who generously donated to not only this campaign, but to UAM Softball as a whole. We can’t make it work without you all. Thank you to all those past Blossoms and the traditions they built. Finally, thank you to Coach Early and the program of excellence he built at UAM. Without everyone, this wouldn’t have been possible. We are so excited!”
Both fields are getting TV Standard LED lighting from GSL’s CLIR (Candela Lumen Intensity Refinement) Series. The high-performance sports lighting will provide high-energy efficiency, an instant on/off switch, full lighting control, and a low cost of ownership.
Along with the previous advantages, the new lights include the following system features: an efficient system that saves energy and produces more light, multi-scale lenses for glare reduction, ultra-low EMI noise generation, advanced optics designed to create a uniform light distribution, and guaranteed light levels for life with low maintenance.
“We are excited about the lights going up,” said Head Baseball Coach John Harvey. “We are looking forward to having bigger crowds and better atmosphere at home games. They will give people an opportunity to get off work and come out to the ballpark. They also ensure that we can finish games and we don’t have to rush to start games early to get them in. Hopefully, the lights will also provide more tournament hosting opportunities in the future, as well.
A light dedication ceremony will be held at each field during the first home series of the season, with baseball on Saturday, Feb. 8, in between games of the doubleheader against Missouri Western State University, followed by softball on Saturday, Feb. 21, between games of the conference doubleheader against Oklahoma Baptist University.
The 2025 campaigns both begin on Friday, Jan. 31. Softball will open the season in Branson, Missouri, against Missouri Southern State University in the Branson Lead-Off Classic. Baseball travels to Houston, Texas, to begin their season against Mississippi College in the annual Houston Winter Classic, hosted by the University of Central Missouri, at the newly named Daikin Park (previously named Minute Maid Park).
Fans can find more information on game times, live streams, live stats, and rosters for the season at uamsports.com.
