Below is an open letter from Eastern Kentucky University Vice President & Director of Athletics Kyle Moats with a summer update on Colonel Athletics.

Dear Colonel Fans, 
 

I hope you have had an enjoyable summer.  The start of the 2026 fall season is upon us.  We look forward to another exciting year of Colonel Athletics. I wanted to bring to your attention a few items that may be of interest to you. 
 

First, I want to celebrate winning the ASUN Conference Presidents' Academic Cup this past year after leading the conference with the highest percentage of student-athletes on the ASUN Honor Roll with grade point averages of 3.0 or higher. 
 

This is an impressive accomplishment our student-athletes, athletics department, and university can be proud of. I want to thank our student-athletes and Bratzke Center staff for their work in making this possible. I also want to recognize our coaches for their continued support of our student-athletes in the classroom. This is an achievement that speaks to our commitment as an entire department and university to providing a top-level student-athlete experience on and off the field here at EKU. 
 

Football tickets - Tickets for this season are available by contacting our ticket office or going online at ekusports.com. We need your support in making Roy Kidd Stadium the best home field advantage in the UAC. Kaden Smith (LB), Campbellsville, KY, was named Pre-Season Defensive Player of the Year this past week at the UAC Media Days held in Arlington, TX.  Congrats to Kaden.  
 

Volleyball will be back in Baptist Health Arena beginning this year. Coming off a great 2025 season, where the team finished second in the ASUN conference championship, Coach Bazzani returns an excellent core group to once again vie for a conference championship. Go online to purchase your tickets and check out the 2026 schedule. 
 

Speaking of the UAC, you may have seen where we officially made the move to the UAC in almost all of our sports. We look forward to competing in this new conference and the new rivalries it will produce. 
 

In keeping the with the moving theme, we have moved many of our athletic offices from Commonwealth to the 4th floor of the Whitlock Building. For your reference, the following moves have taken place: 

MBB & WBB offices-OSTC 

Volleyball offices-Whitlock 

Women's Soccer offices-Whitlock 

Baseball offices-Whitlock 

Men's & Women's Golf offices-Whitlock 

Beach Volleyball offices-Whitlock 

Administration/Karl Park -Whitlock 

Compliance-Whitlock 

Business-Whitlock 

Sponsorship-Whitlock 

Marketing/Fan Engagement-Whitlock 

Media Relations-Whitlock 

Bratzke (Academics)-Whitlock 

The Athletics Ticket Office is now located at the Center for the Arts. 
 

We have scheduled a Holiday Open House for fans to see our new office space on December 3 from 6:00p.m.-8:00 p.m. We encourage you to attend.  More details are to follow. 
 

This upcoming year, we will be hosting two conference championships.  The first one will be the UAC Men's & Women's Cross-Country meet at Arlington Golf Course on October 30.  The second will be in the spring when we host the 2027 UAC Women's Softball Championship May 12-15. If you have an interest in volunteering for either of these events, please contact Rachel Slone at Rachel.Slone@eku.edu. We look forward to seeing you at these events. 
 

Fall will be a little different for the first time in 47 years for all of us, as legendary announcer Greg Stotelmyer announced his retirement from EKU Athletics this summer.  We wish Greg and his wife, Paula, the best as they navigate retirement from the EKU sports schedule. We all thank Greg for his commitment and dedication to EKU athletics throughout the years. 
 

In the weeks to come, you will be receiving information about our new ticket referral program.  This program is aimed at increasing season ticket sales, increasing membership in the Colonel Club, and getting more people in the stands to support our student-athletes. Rewards for participation will be given, so please consider helping us out. In advance, thank you for your assistance. 
 

Intercollegiate athletics continues to try and define what it wants to become.  As we maneuver during these ever-changing times, please know we appreciate your continued support and hope you will continue to be an advocate of our mission, which is to provide a great student-athlete experience both on and off the field of play.  
 

Go Big E- 

Kyle Moats 

Vice-President/Director of Athletics