Steve Owens became the Dolphins head coach in 2000. Owens has the 13th highest winning percentage among all active Division I coaches in the country. The 2004 & 2006 MAAC Coach of the Year and the 2003 ABCA/Diamond Northeast Region Coach of the Year, Owens is one of the youngest coaches in the country to reach the 500-win plateau. Over his first ten seasons at Le Moyne, Owens has led the Dolphins to more victories than any coach in a ten-year period in program history. He has posted a record of 314-190 (.623), including seven of Le Moyne’s eight 30-win seasons at the Division I level. The Dolphins qualified for the MAAC tournament in seven of his first eight seasons, winning four regular season titles in five years. Including his eight-year stint at Cortland State, Owens is 559-272-1 (.672) in 18 seasons as a college head coach, averaging over 31 wins per year. In addition, his conference record at Le Moyne stands at 159-47 for a winning percentage of .771.

In 18 seasons, Owens’ clubs have appeared in the post season 15 times and have eclipsed the 30-win plateau on 13 occasions. In addition to the three appearances in the NCAA Division I tournament, Owens led SUNY Cortland to seven NCAA Division III Regional tournaments and four trips to the NCAA Division III World Series. Owens’ post-season coaching record of 54 wins against 33 losses (.620) reflects the consistency with which his teams have excelled year after year. In addition to 10 NCAA appearances, his teams have won 12 conference titles. With team success comes individual success as 13 players have earned All-America honors, three have been honored as Academic All-Americans, and two garnered Freshman All-America accolades. In addition, 32 players have been named All-MAAC and 16 players All-Region in his time at the heights.

Owens’ talent in evaluating, projecting and recruiting players combined with his style of player development has led to 27 players signing professional contracts. In each of his 10 seasons at Le Moyne, Owens has seen at least one of his players move on to the professional ranks. Since 2003, 17 players have signed contracts highlighted by five after the 2004 season. On five occasions, two or more players have been drafted in the same year. Entering the 2010 season, six players are still on active professional rosters. One of the winningest coaches in college baseball, Steve Owens has earned numerous accolades including Conference Coach of the Year on seven occasions, five-times the ABCA NCAA Regional Coach of the Year and 10-time recipient of the Louisville Slugger Coaching Award.

In 2007, Le Moyne posted a 34-19 record on the way to MAAC regular season and tournament championships. The team boasted the conference player, pitcher and reliever of the year. The season ended with an extra inning loss to Ohio State in the Texas A&M NCAA Regional. Le Moyne was ranked 3rd in the Ping baseball power index ratings for the northeast region, which includes 12 states.

In 2006, Owens guided Le Moyne to a school-record 38 wins behind a team ERA of 3.36, which ranked 11th in the nation. Of all the Division I schools playing baseball, Le Moyne’s winning percentage of .731 was the 16th best. The MAAC regular season champions again held the coach, player and reliever of the year awards in the conference.

Both 2004 and 2003 found the Owens led clubs combining to win 69 games versus 38 losses on the way to back to back NCAA Div I appearances at the Arkansas and North Carolina State Regional respectively. His teams set a conference record by winning 25 games in 2003 and then went on to break that record by going 27-3 the following year.

At Cortland, Owens compiled a 245-82-1 record and a .748 winning percentage in eight seasons. Owens’ teams posted six straight 30-win seasons, and in 1998, his team finished third in the nation with a school-best 40-5 record. In both 1997 and 1998, the Red Dragons finished third at the Division III World Series and came within one game of the national championship contest.

A native of Sauquoit, N.Y., Owens was named the New York Regional Coach of the Year four times and the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Coach of the Year on four occasions. He served on the NCAA Division III Tournament Selection Committee and the NCAA Division III All-America Committee. From Cortland, six of his players moved onto the professional baseball ranks.

Owens earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sport and Leisure Studies from St. Lawrence in 1987. While at St. Lawrence, he played both baseball and football. An All-ECAC third baseman and shortstop, Owens was a four-year starter on the diamond and two-time Most Valuable Player. He was named the Outstanding Senior Athlete at St. Lawrence in 1987. Owens hit .454 as a senior and finished his career with a .349 batting average. He stole 73 bases in 80 attempts. In the Fall, Owens will be inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame.

Owens was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and spent two seasons in their organization, including stints with Geneva in the New York-Penn League and with the Charleston (W.Va.) Cubs. Owens plays an active role as a clinician at his own camps as well as several outside events each year. He has developed camps and clinics at Le Moyne that routinely attract up to 850 kids per year. Three times he has been invited to coach at the YES Clinic in Omaha, Nebraska for disadvantaged youth in the area. During the summer of 2008, he worked with USA Baseball and helped to prepare the national team during a 10-day swing in New England as a trials coach.

Owens, 44, lives in DeWitt with his wife, Catharine, and their three children Jack, Sam and Jane.

Steve Owens at Glance

535 Wins, 249 Losses (.682)
54-33 Post Season Record
8th highest active Division I winning percentage
15 Post Season Appearances
13 30+ Win Seasons
3 NCAA Division I Regional Bids
7 NCAA Division III Regional Bids
4 NCAA Division III World Series Appearances
12 Conference Championships
24 Professional Players
13 All-Americans
3 Academic All-Americans
2 Freshman All-Americans
7 Conference Coach of the Year Awards
5 ABCA NCAA Regional Coach of the Year Awards
10 Louisville Slugger Coaching Awards