After 20 seasons as an assistant coach at
the University of North Alabama, Mike Keehn
was given the reigns of the Lion baseball
program on November 2, 2008. when he was
named as UNA’s head baseball coach.
Keehn, who had been an instrumental part of
North Alabama’s tremendous success over the
last two decades, first as a student
assistant and then as a full-time assistant
coach, responded by leading the Lions to an
impressive 32-20 record in his first season
at the helm..
The Lions had a solid 24-12 record at home
and went 6-8 in conference play, narrowly
missing a berth in the Gulf South Conference
Tournament.
During his more than two decades at UNA,
Keehn has helped develop the Mike Lane Field
infield into one of the best playing
surfaces in the country. He has also helped
direct the Lions’ recruiting efforts that
have continued to bring talented
student-athletes to the UNA campus.
Keehn has also handled several of the Lions’
fund-raising efforts.
As an assistant, Keehn helped lead UNA to a
combined 720-318-7 record over a 20-year
span from 1989- 2008, while working with the
Lion infielders and hitters. During those 20
years UNA won four Gulf South Conference
baseball titles and made seven NCAA
Tournament appearances.
In 1999 he helped direct a UNA team that
went 45-12, won the Gulf South Conference
and NCAA Division II South Central Regional
championships and advanced to the Division
II Baseball Championship in Montgomery, Ala.
An infielder at Kearney State College (now
the University of Nebraska-Kearney), where
he earned honorable mention All-America
honors, Keehn was drafted and signed by the
Texas Rangers organization.
After a stint in the minor leagues, he went
to coach at Kansas City, Kan., Community
College from 1985- 88.
He helped direct KCKCC to a 120-36 record
over those three seasons with two Jayhawk
Conference championships and two district
runner-up finishes.
In 1988 he came to North Alabama and in his
first season with the Lions he was a part of
his third straight championship team as UNA
went 44-11 and won the Gulf South Conference
crown. The Lions then advanced to the NCAA
regionals for the fourth time in six years.
In 1990 the Lions went 37-11 and won the GSC
West Division and followed with a 30-17 mark
in 1991 and an NCAA South Atlantic Regional
berth. UNA made its second straight NCAA
appearance with a 33-19-1 finish in 1992 and
followed with a third straight appearance, a
third Gulf South Conference championship,
and a 39-18 record in 1993. In 1994, UNA
went 35-11-2 and won the GSC East Division.
In 1995 UNA was 43-15, won the GSC East
Division and advanced to the championship
game of the NCAA Division II South Central
Regional. In 1996 the Lions finished with a
37-11 record, and in 1997 UNA was 40-15-1,
won its third GSC title since Keehn’s
arrival and made the ninth NCAA tournament
appearance in school history.
In 1998 UNA was 38-12 and the Lions followed
with a 45-12 record in 1999, 36-16-1 in
2000, 30-18 in 2001, 37-16 in 2002, 35-15 in
2003, 34-20-1 in 2004, 39-19 in 2005, 38-20
in 2006, 32-21-1 in 2007 and 29-21 in 2008.
Keehn received his B.A. in education with a
double major in Physical Education and
Business from Kearney State and earned his
Master’s in Education from UNA in July of
1990. He and his wife Lisa have two
daughters, Jessica and Erica, and a son,
Austin.
