Eagles Baseball
University of the Ozarks' baseball program is a member of NCAA Division III and the American Southwest Conference, which is comprised of non-athletic scholarship schools from Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi. The Eagles play their home games at the newly named Lonnie R. Qualls Field, a cozy on-campus ballpark that seats 400. A yearly schedule of 40 games includes match ups with such in-state rivals as Hendrix College and Arkansas Tech University.
Jimmy Clark is in his first year as Athletic Director and sixth year as head baseball coach. Clark, a native of Conway and a former standout at the University of Central Arkansas, was named the 2005 American Southwest Conference East Division Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to their first winning season in nearly a decade. Clark's 2007 club tied the modern-day school record in wins (24) and earned a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 1996. During the 2007 season, Ozarks won their first-round series and advanced to the championship round of the ASC tournament. It was the program's first-ever appearance in the four-team championship round. Clark brought instant credibility to the program his first season, having defeated all but one team in the American Southwest Conference East Division. That success has carried off the field as well as Clark has coached four players on the prestigious Academic All-America team during his tenure and numerous others on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region team. He also had the conference's Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2003.
Clark's coaching philosophy emphasizes pitching and defense. "To be successful in baseball at any level, you must have pitchers who consistently throw strikes and change location and speed," Clark said. "Combine that with error-free defense and you are in a position to win, whether you're hitting or not. The type of student-athletes that I plan to recruit at Ozarks are ones who are versatile; players who can run and throw and hustle from the time he steps on the field. They must be self-motivated to work hard on their school work and work hard on their baseball skills. I want to surround myself with people who have very high expectations for themselves and who are willing to work hard to achieve those goals. Our goals here at the U of O are to win the ASC Championships, qualify for the regional tournament, and win the school's first national championship."
2008 Prospectus (Quick Facts)
Head Coach: Jimmy Clark
