WEATHERFORD – Southwestern Oklahoma State University's head baseball coach for the past 13 years, Zack Saunders, has announced he will step away from the role at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
"I had no idea what was in store for me when I came to SWOSU in 2005," reflected Saunders. "It has been the best decision that I have ever made with so many impactful relationships in my life starting because of this place."
He continued. "It's been an honor to coach and lead this program, but it has only been because of all the great players and coaches that we have been able to have the success we've had. I'm excited about getting to be with my wife and kids more and help them chase the dreams they set for themselves. I'm also looking forward to the challenge of transitioning into full-time teaching at SWOSU while continuing to be supportive of the baseball program."
SWOSU Athletic Director Todd Helton applauded Saunders for his head coaching service and 19 total years in Southwestern Oklahoma State's Athletic Department.
"We would like to thank Coach Saunders for his dedication to, and leadership of, the SWOSU Baseball program," said Helton. "He has run a program based on integrity, hard work, and service to both our community and university and has molded many young men that have gone on to become more than just baseball players as successful husbands, fathers, and members of society. We wish him and Elissa nothing but the best in the next chapter of their lives. Coach Saunders will always be a member of the Bulldog family."
Just shy of the 300-win mark in his career, Saunders is SWOSU Baseball's NCAA era leader in both wins and winning percentage. While at the helm of the program, he has seen 41 players earn all-conference recognition with another two All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans, a GAC Player of the Year, and a Central Region Gold Glove winner.
Saunders has guided the Bulldogs to eight winning seasons including a pair of 30-win campaigns in 2013 and 2016 – both seasons in which he earned Great American Conference Coach of the Year honors. His teams have finished inside the top-five of the GAC standings in six different seasons.
In 2016, he helped guide the program to its first GAC Regular Season Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs finished 34-17 that year, a win total that still represents a school record for wins in the NCAA era.
SWOSU handed the controls of the baseball program to Saunders prior to the 2012 season, after he spent six seasons as the Bulldog's lead assistant.
In 2011, Saunders helped the Bulldogs to a 33-18 record and an appearance in the Lone Star Conference postseason tournament. SWOSU achieved several firsts during the year, including a ranking in the NCAA Division II National Top 25 poll, a victory in the LSC Tournament and a win over top-ranked Emporia State.
Saunders played collegiately at Kansas State University where he was a two-year starter before joining former SWOSU coach Charles Teasley's staff in 2005. A 1999 graduate of Muskogee High School and now a member of the Muskogee Athletic Hall of Fame, Saunders began playing collegiately at Connors State and was a member of two nationally ranked junior college teams with the Cowboys.
A native of Muskogee, Okla., Saunders earned his bachelor's degree in Social Science from Kansas State University in 2004 before completing a master's degree in Kinesiology from SWOSU in 2008. He and his wife Elissa reside in Weatherford with their son Isaiah and daughter Olivia.
SWOSU Athletics will honor Saunders and his contributions to the program on the final day of the regular season – Saturday, April 27 prior to the 12:00 pm doubleheader against Northwestern Oklahoma State.
