Byron Named New Owls Head Coach

The Forest City Owls Baseball Club have named Greg Byron as the new head coach of the Owls. Byron currently serves as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa. 

“I would like to thank both General Manager Jeremy Boler & Managing Partner Jesse Cole for the opportunity to join the Owls family,” said Byron. “I am very honored to become the next Manager of this great franchise, and look forward to building and putting forth a championship caliber team for the 2014 season. I know Forest City has a rich baseball history and a tradition of winning, and I look forward to trying to bring back another championship to this community. I am excited to get going and look forward to donning the Owls uniform next summer and becoming part of this great family!”

In 2014 Byron will handle all the recruiting for the Owls and will be bringing in two assistant coaches.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring Greg on board as our next head coach,” said Owls General Manager Jeremy Boler. “After conducting a national search we had a lot of interest in the position. We feel he will bring a tremendous level of experience and leadership to the position and continue the great tradition of Forest City Owls baseball. Greg is a terrific fit for what we are trying to accomplish and will be a great fit for the local community.” 

Byron joined the Hawkeyes after helping guide Central Arkansas to the NCAA Regionals in 2013 as the assistant pitching coach. He helped lead the Bears to a school-record 42 victories, and Central Arkansas won the Southland Conference Tournament as the seventh seed by winning five consecutive elimination games. 

The Central Arkansas Bears went on to post a 3-2 record in the Starkville Regional, posting victories over No. 12 Mississippi State and a pair of conference champions in South Alabama and Mercer. UCA finished the year ranked No. 25 in the Collegiate Baseball poll.

Byron is no stranger to College Summer Baseball. Following the 2013 season, Byron served as the pitching coach for the Thunder Bay Border Cats in the Northwoods Prospects League. He has also served as associate head coach/pitching coordinator for the Ontario Blue Jays from 2008-12, and was a graduate assistant at Bethany (Kan.) College in 2008-09 Byron played professional baseball from 2009-11, playing for the Lake Erie Crushers (2009), Quebec Les Capitales and Washington Wild Things (2010) and New York Federals (2011).

The Owls are currently in the process of adding players for their 2014 squad, and fans should be on the lookout for updates on the team’s official site for player signings. 

To find out more about 2014 Owls Season Tickets, please contact the Owls office at 828-245-0000 and speak to a friendly ticket sales representative. Or please visit our website at www.forestcitybaseball.com