Ouachita Baptist Baseball -- Head Coach Scott Norwood
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Phone: (870) 245-5278  Scott Norwood begins his fourth season as the Ouachita Baptist University head coach.
In his third season at the helm, Norwood took the Tigers to new heights with a school record 50 wins as Ouachita Baptist captured the Gulf South Conference West Division crown. During the course of the season, Ouachita Baptist reached bigger and greater heights by being ranked No. 1 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers poll and No. 2 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll.
Just three years into the program and the Tigers have accomplished more accolades as Ouachita Baptist played host to the South Central Regional at Rab Rodgers Field. Norwood's accomplishments last season included: 18-3 Gulf South Conference record, GSC West Division Champs, GSC Tournament semifinal appearance, 50-10 record (third best in Gulf South Conference history) -- all school firsts. He also guided the Tigers to a school-record and third-highest in GSC history 21-game winning streak.
Last season, Norwood coached several players to numerous postseason honors, including Jeremy Haworth, who was tabbed the Gulf South Conference West Division Player of the Year and Chance Beasley, who earned South Central Region Player of the Year.
Norwood owns an overall head coaching record of 238-124 in seven seasons as the skipper of three different programs. He is 107-61 in three years as the Ouachita Baptist head coach. He is known for his ability to turn programs around, and instill a winning tradition at every institution at which he has been. Norwood has had six of his players sign professional contracts, including Justin Mallett, currently a Top 40 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization.
In his second season at Ouachita Baptist, he helped guide the Tigers to what was then a school-record 31 wins and its first postseason appearance since joining Division II in 1995. OBU was ranked in the Top 30 for the second straight season, and placed 6 student-athletes on All-Gulf South Conference teams, while placing second in the GSC West Division with a 16-7 conference mark.
In his first season at the helm of the Tigers, Norwood guided the program to its most successful season in 32 years. After the program had only won 45 games the previous five seasons, Norwood turned the program around in his very first season. With a record of 26-27, 10-13 in the Gulf South Conference, Norwood gave OBU the most wins it has had since joining NCAA Division II, and the GSC. In addition, the program saw its first ever national ranking, appearing in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30 for the week of Feb. 21, 2005 with a No. 29 ranking. The Tigers also earned national rankings with the 4th-best fielding percentage in all of NCAA Division II (.969). Norwood also had two players earn All-GSC honors, making it the only time OBU has placed more than one player on the team in the same year.
Norwood began his coaching career in 1994 at the University of Indianapolis under head coach Gary Vaught. In his five years as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator, Norwood helped turn the program into a national power. Indianapolis compiled 160 wins in five seasons, including a No. 4 National Ranking, a 1998 NCAA II Regional appearance, and a top-10 finish in national fielding percentage. Following the 1998 campaign at Indianapolis, Norwood took the head coaching position at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa.
Norwood turned Mercyhurst around in his only season, leading the Lakers to a 26-18 (.591) record. The previous year they had only won 19 games. Following that season, Norwood decided to leave coaching to take a position as Event Coordinator of the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Ind. There, he oversaw all of the Indianapolis Colts games for the 2000, 2001 season, and the 2000 NCAA Final Four, in addition to the numerous conventions, and events held at the dome.
After a two-season hiatus from coaching, Norwood returned closer to his native Tulsa, Okla., taking the job at Sterling College, located in Sterling, Kan. In three years as the skipper at the NAIA school, Norwood compiled a 105-45 (.700) record. This included back-to-back Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) tournament championships, and back-to-back NAIA Regional appearances. He also set the school record for wins in each year that he was there, with 33, 35, and 37 wins respectively. In 2003, his team led the NAIA in team batting average at .375.
Norwood was born and raised in Tulsa, Okla., where his parents Woody and Doris, and his sister Nancy and her family, still live. He graduated from Tulsa Memorial High School in 1984, after leading them to the Oklahoma 5A State Championship, and moved on to Connors State College in Warner, Okla. In his freshman season, he helped lead CSC to a NJCAA I World Series appearance and fifth-place finish. After earning his associates degree in 1986, Norwood transferred to Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Okla., to continue his playing career. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 1988. He also earned his Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction in 1998 from the University of Indianapolis, while serving as Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.
Norwood married the former Anne Harper of Arlington, Texas, in 2001. They now reside in Arkadelphia, Ark. |
