The conference welcomes two new baseball coaches to the league after Bellarmine and Illinois-Springfield made hires in the offseason.

The Knights hired Larry Owens, who had been a minor league coach in the Chicago White Sox organization. Owens began in collegiate playing career at Bellarmine, before transferring to Vincennes University and finishing his playing career at Armstrong Atlantic State University. Owens replaces Matt Tyner as the skipper, following Tyner’s resignation to accept a coaching position at Division I University of Richmond. Owens joined Bellarmine officially on Sept. 1, after his duties with the White Sox organization were completed.

Meanwhile, the Prairie Stars hired Texas A&M Corpus Christi recruiting coordinator Chris Ramirez as their head coach, after six seasons assisting the Islanders. In his six seasons, the Islanders were nationally ranked in Division I recruiting three times and saw nine players drafted in the Major League Baseball draft.