MONTGOMERY, Ala. ----- Prior to Auburn University at Montgomery opening its 2020 Gulf South Conference baseball schedule Saturday, the university officially dedicated Q.V. Lowe Field at the Baseball Complex.
 
Lowe was the first AUM baseball head coach and led the program for 28 years, amassing a 1,063-588-5 record, including 21 seasons with 30 or more wins and 13 years with more than 40 victories. He led AUM to three trips to the NAIA World Series finals and won six conference championships.
 
"We are grateful for the contribution Coach Q.V. Lowe made to Auburn University at Montgomery athletics and the institution as a whole," AUM Chancellor Carl A. Stockton said. "He literally built our baseball program from the ground up after arriving in 1986 and his teams were known for achieving excellence on the field and in the classroom. His track record of sustained success made him an obvious choice for induction in the 2020 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame class. There's no better way to honor his legacy than by the Warhawks playing the rest of their home games at Q.V. Lowe Field."
 
"It is truly fitting that the name Q.V. Lowe be linked to our home baseball field and our campus," Senior Director of Athletics Jessie Rosa said. "His time, effort and sacrifices to start our program and build it into one of the most respected in the nation, along with the many outstanding young men he recruited to Auburn University at Montgomery, certainly merits this honor."

In 1990, his fourth season at the helm, Lowe helped the Warhawks to the first NAIA World Series appearance in school history, leading AUM to a 40-26 record and an appearance in the National Championship game. During their magical season, the Warhawks earned the District 27 and Area 5 Championships, while Lowe earned District, Area and NAIA Coach of the Year honors.

Two seasons later, the Warhawks were back in the World Series after Lowe guided the team to the first of four seasons in which AUM won 50 or more games. The team finished the 1992 season with a 50-18 overall record. AUM earned its second District and Area Championship, with Lowe selected the Coach of the Year in each, as well as the Diamond National Coach of the Year.

During the next 13 seasons at AUM, the Warhawks won 40 or more games seven times and averaged nearly 42 wins during the stretch. However, Lowe and AUM were unable to return to the World Series. The Warhawks won five conference championships, while Lowe was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1995, Louisville Slugger Regional Coach of the Year in 1997 and 1998, and the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Coach of the Year in 2000.

In 2006, the Warhawks won both the SSAC and the Region XIII Championship and earned a third trip to the NAIA World Series, where they advanced to the national quarterfinals. In 2008, Lowe earned his 1,000th career coaching victory, while in 2009, the Warhawks made an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round.

During the 2011 season, Lowe helped the Warhawks to a 42-19 record and a return appearance to the NAIA National Tournament. The skipper helped AUM to a 16-2 record in the extremely competitive West Division of the SSAC and a 30-7 record in its final 37 games. For his accomplishments, he was selected the league's Coach of the Year.

In 2012, AUM posted a 38-24 record and Lowe recorded his 1,000th victory with the program. The Warhawks advanced to within one game of the NAIA World Series and finished with a 21-9 record in the SSAC. During the 2013 campaign, Lowe won his 1,200th collegiate game, a mark which included 179 victories as the head coach at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College.

Under his leadership, 79 student-athletes have earned all-conference accolades, 40 have garnered all-area or all-region honors and 33 players have been selected NAIA All-Americans. In addition, Lowe has coached more than 25 players who have played in some type of professional baseball league.

Lowe was inducted into the Auburn University Tiger Walk Hall of Fame in 1998 and was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005.  In 2011, he became the first AUM head coach selected to the NAIA Hall of Fame, while he was also named the 2007 Alabama Baseball Coaches Association College Coach of the Year. Since his retirement has was selected to the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame and later this year will be inducted to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
 
While the field is officially named, the progress continues around the baseball complex to ensure the facility surrounding the playing surface named in honor of the legendary head coach for the Senators and Warhawks.
 
Several projects have already been completed around the complex. Both the home and visiting dugouts were re-bricked, while pillars were added to a new scoreboard. Construction of the main gate entryway, complete with a ticketing center, concessions area and public restrooms, in addition to a fan pavilion on the third-base side of the facility have been built.
 
Additional projects include a first-base fan pavilion, improvements to the clubhouse and coaches offices, press box renovation, covered hitting facility and an outfield wall. Below are descriptions of each project.
 
First-Base Fan Pavilion
The pavilion will mirror the third base pavilion and will offer AUM student organizations, fans or alumni the ability to watch the game from a covered area adjacent to the home dugout. The pavilion not only offers a great view of the field, but also a group space upon reservation.
 
Clubhouse/Coaches Offices
The project will feature either a renovation to the existing clubhouse or a newly-constructed clubhouse, which will provide current and future student-athletes an enhanced area to prepare for games and improve team chemistry. In addition, the area will also be the new home to offices for the coaching staff.
 
Press Box
The press box renovation will provide an improved area for gameday management, as well as additional space for home broadcasting and visiting team personnel. The renovation will give AUM a better opportunity to host regional and national tournaments.
 
Hitting Facility
The partially-enclosed hitting facility will provide a great opportunity for members of the team to train in cold or wet conditions. The hitting facility will also be a valuable asset in recruiting elite student-athletes to AUM.
 
Outfield Wall
The addition of a ChampionWall will surround Q.V. Lowe Field and give the AUM Baseball Complex the completed feel of one of the premier NCAA Division II baseball facilities in the region. 
 
For information on how to contribute to the projects, please contact Assistant AD for External Relations Tim Lutz at 334-244-3832 or via email at tlutz1@aum.edu.