Cole Stephens is in his fourth season as an assistant baseball coach for SWOSU in 2017 after playing for the Bulldogs for two seasons. He will continue working the Bulldogs pitching staff this season.
In 2016, Stephens mentored three all-conference selections who helped the Bulldogs to their best season as an NCAA Division II program. SWOSU finished 34-17, won the regular season Great American Conference Championship and advanced to the programs first-ever NCAA Central Regional where they went 1-2 with a victory over No. 20-ranked Minnesota-Duluth.
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SWOSU’s pitching staff finished with a 3.90 ERA and team total of 384 strikeouts against 164 walks during the 2016 season, finishing second in the GAC in ERA. The staff was anchored by starting pitcher Jon Chidester, a two-time All-GAC selection and five-time GAC Pitcher of the Week in his two-year career with the Bulldogs.
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In his first two seasons on staff Stephens led the bulldogs to a team ERA of 4.78 in 2014 and a 4.73 in 2015 while also having an opponent batting average under a .270 in those two seasons.
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Before joining the coaching staff, Stephens was a key member of SWOSU’s pitching staff for two years, making 25 starts on the mound and finishing with a record of 12-6 in two seasons. He had a 3.33 ERA in 2012 that he lowered to 2.74 as a senior in 2013. He helped the Bulldogs to a 31-16 record in 2013 and a second-place finish in the Great American Conference standings. For his efforts as a junior, Stephens was named a second team All-GAC selection.
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Prior to SWOSU, Stephens played two seasons at NOC-Enid, where he had an 11-5 record in 25 appearances from 2008-11, including a no-hitter he threw during the 2011 season. He was named a First Team All-Region II selection during his sophomore season, a year in which the Jets were ranked as high as second in the NJCAA national poll.
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A native of Sanger, Texas, Stephens earned his bachelor’s degree from SWOSU in 2013 and his master’s degree in 2015.
