TRAVIS OWEN JOINS SOFTBALL PROGRAM AS PITCHING COACH

Follow @RadfordSoftball

RADFORD, Va. – Radford softball head coach Aileen Morales has announced the addition of Travis Owen to her staff as the team's pitching coach.

"I am thrilled to announce Travis as our pitching coach," Morales said. "Travis brings successful international and head coaching experience to our staff, which will help propel our program forward. He will instill great confidence and presence into our pitching staff, and the team as a whole. Most importantly, he is a person of high character who will represent Radford University in a first-class manner."

Owen joins the Highlanders after two previous collegiate coaching stints. As head coach at Lyon College (Ark.) for the 2013-14 season, he led the NAIA program to its third-best finish and helped lower the squad's team ERA by almost one full run from the previous year. Under his leadership, the Scots also improved their team batting by 68 percentage points (to over .300), added 31 stolen bases and decreased their number of errors by 50 from the prior season.

"To be able to work with this Radford coaching staff and these student-athletes is an opportunity that I am truly grateful for," Owen said. "Without a doubt, I am certain this program can be successful in the Big South and I look forward to doing everything I can to help our pitchers and the overall program improve day in and day out."

Prior to Lyon, Owen served as an assistant coach at Northern State University (S.D.) from 2011-2013. In his first year, he helped the Division II Wolves to their best record in program history and a 10-win improvement from the previous season. Owen led Northern State's out-of-region recruiting efforts, assisted with practice planning, skill development and scouting reports and developed the team's strength and conditioning program.

Most recently, Owen coached overseas for the Howick Premier Softball Club in New Zealand. As head coach of the club's women's team, he led the squad to a top eight national finish during the 2014-15 campaign. Owen also focused largely on developing the club's pitchers, running several clinics and implementing a nine-week winter academy for the club. He also played competitively for the club's men's side, seeing some time at the reserve, premier and division 3 levels.

Owen began his coaching career as a sports performance intern at the University of Louisville in 2010 before moving on to Northern State, where he served as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant until joining the softball team.

Owen graduated magna cum laude from Saint Louis University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2007 and earned his Master of Science from Northern State in 2011.

Print Friendly Version