Who is Eric Owens? All we know about the ex-Ferrum baseball alum turned head coach
Ferrum Baseball has appointed Eric Owens as the new head coach of its program. The former collegiate baseball star-turned-coach has taken up the role.
Owens is a name that long-term Ferrum baseball fans are familiar with. Here, we will discuss Ferrum's new head coach, his collegiate career, and what he has achieved as a coach that earned him his latest job.
Who is Eric Owens?
Eric Owens is a former Ferrum College baseball player who spent three years with the program between 1989 and 1992. Owens was a two-time All-America first-team selection and the 1992 NCAA Division III Player of the Year.
Owens was phenomenal when playing for Ferrum, batting .402 with seven doubles, three triples, four home runs, and 23 RBI. In any sport, he remains the program's first and only NCAA Player of the Year.
Due to his dominance at the collegiate level, Owens was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round of the 1992 MLB Amateur Draft. He enjoyed a decent career in the pros, batting 264 with 26 home runs and 214 RBI.
Eric Owens has excelled as a coach
Owens went into coaching after he retired from professional football. The Ferrum College legend has coached at the highest levels of baseball, including stints at A, AA, AAA, and the Major Leagues.
His crowning moment as a positional coach was with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he was the team's Assistant Hitting Coach. Owens contributed to the Blue Jays making back-to-back American League Championship appearances.
Owens mentored 2015 American League (AL) MVP Josh Donaldson, who also won the AL Hank Aaron Award and became a two-time AL Silver Slugger (2015, 2016).
Speaking about his hiring, Ferrum Director of Athletics, Cleive Adams said:
"Bringing Eric back to Ferrum is exciting, especially right now as we embark on our journey to the NCAA Division II ranks," said Adams. "Eric embodies everything we want in someone who will lead young men on the field and help prepare them for life after Ferrum."
According to Ferrum's website, Eric Owens will begin work on July 8, 2024.