Contact: Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Sports Information and Media Services, cwaller@naia.org

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oregon Tech head coach Greg Stewart has been named 2011 NAIA Softball Coach of the Year, the national office announced Friday. Stewart engineered the program’s first-ever softball national championship with a 1-0 victory against top-ranked California Baptist on May 25. Stewart completed his seventh season at Oregon Tech with a 226-107-2 mark.

“I am extremely proud of Oregon Tech, the past coaches and players that established the winning tradition of this softball program, and I feel honored to be a part of what this group of young ladies were able to accomplish this season,” said Stewart. “It was a blessing to win the title while surrounded by such a great bunch of hard-working kids and two great assistant coaches.

“It is truly an amazing feeling to see your team win a national championship. Ultimately, I am thankful to God for all He gives us in this life and for allowing me the opportunity to be a coach and to challenge and encourage others while being challenged and encouraged myself.”

The Owls went 42-13 overall winning both the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season and tournament titles. They made their second national championship event and their first since 1997. Ranked No. 18 in the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 poll, Oregon Tech became the first team in the CCC to win the national championship in the 31-year history of the event.

This season, Stewart and assistant coaches Bill Fagan and Ryson Mauricio were named the 2011 NFCA NAIA National Coaching Staff of the Year. Stewart mentored pitcher Jackie Imhof, who was selected as the 2010-11 CCC Co-Athlete of the Year. Imhof played an integral role in the Owls’ national championship run as she was tabbed the Tournament MVP.

The Houston, Texas, native graduated from Sterling (Kan.) where he received a degree in accounting while playing four years of baseball. In 1997, he became the school’s head baseball coach. Four years later, Stewart was hired as the Bluefield (Va.) baseball skipper for two seasons. In 2004, he was the assistant baseball coach at Lewis and Clark (Ore.), before moving on to Oregon Tech’s softball program. Greg is married to Nellie, and is the father of two daughters, Aubrey, Lindsey and step-daughter, Lanie.

Stewart is from the first Cascade Collegiate Conference school to be honored as the softball coach of the year.