Oklahoma City University Men's Baseball

Keith Lytle was named head coach on Aug. 4, 2022 after being recognizing as one of the top hitting instructors in the nation during his 34-year tenure as Oklahoma City University assistant baseball coach. He took the Stars to the NAIA Opening Round in eachof his first two seasons and won a Sooner Athletic Conference tite in his first year (2023). With Lytle's aid, OCU has posted the most wins in the nation since 1991 (1,535), 14 50-win seasons, 14 Sooner Athletic Conference titles and 14 trips to the NAIA World Series. The Stars were national runner-up three years in a row before breaking through to win the national championship in 2005. OCU set the single-season victory record in 2004 with 73. His pupils have included eight national players of the year – Mario Delgado, Nick Klusaw, Ted Ledbetter, Allen Thompson, Kirk Walker, Brent Weaver, Miguel Beltran and Cross Factor – and 89 all-Americans. Freddy Sanchez, the 2006 National League batting champion, blossomed under his tutelage and led the San Francisco Giants to the 2010 World Series championship. Lytle has coached 149 future professionals, including 71 taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, with OCU. Lytle joined OCU the same year Denney Crabaugh was named head coach in 1989. Crabaugh consistently recognized Lytle as a key factor in the success of the Stars baseball program, which has gone 1,601-493-2 during that time. OCU has set the team national record for homers four times and consistently been ranked among the national leaders in most hitting categories. Lytle became the first OCU Athletic Hall of Famer who spent his time at the university as an assistant coach his entire tenure, and entered the NAIA Hall of Fame, another honor rare for an assistant coach. In 2003, he was named the AFLAC national assistant coach of the year, and in 2018, he was honored as the inaugural NAIA assistant coach of the year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. From 1988-95, Lytle coached in the Shenandoah Valley League. He led the Harrisonburg Turks (Va.) to the league championship in 1991. Lytle has experience coaching at the Triple-A level with the Texas Rangers organization. Lytle served three years as assistant hitting and first base coach with the Oklahoma City RedHawks. Lytle coached Nelson Cruz when he won Pacific Coast League most valuable player in 2008. In 1990-91, Lytle worked as a bullpen coach for the Oklahoma City 89ers. Prior to coming to OCU in 1989, Lytle served as an associate coach at New Mexico State. Before that, he was a pitcher and first basemen for the Aggies. He graduated from New Mexico State with a bachelor's degree in education in 1986. Lytle is married (Jane) with one son (Joe Jackson). Joe Lytle has played professionally, most recently with the Windy City ThunderBolts (Ill.) of the Frontier League.                                                                               HEAD COACHING RECORD Season School Wins Losses Pct.     Postseason/Accomplishments 2023 Oklahoma City 32 21 .604 SAC Tournament Champions NAIA Opening Round Appearance 2024 Oklahoma City 35 18 .660 SAC Tournament Runner-Up NAIA Opening Round Appearance 2025 Oklahoma City 19 25 .432 SAC Semifinals 2026 Oklahoma City 22 27 .449 SAC Semifinals Total Four years 108 91 .542 1x SAC Champion 2x NAIA Opening Round Appearance  

Originally from Puyallup, Wash., Snell played for the Stars in 2005-06, helping OCU to the 2005 NAIA championship. Snell hit .361 with 14 home runs and 94 RBIs in his OCU career. He was a two-time all-conference selection with Tacoma (Wash.) prior to coming to OCU. Snell was a part of two 50-win Stars campaigns, helping OCU win the Sooner Athletic Conference championship in 2007 and the NAIA Region VI championship in 2008. OCU finished third in the NAIA World Series in 2008.

A former standout on the mound for the Stars, Tanner Schoeninger returned to OCU as the pitching coach in 2023. Since returning, Schoeninger has coached two NAIA All-Americans including NAIA and SAC Pitcher of the Year Eli Davis. In three years with OCU as a player, Schoeninger had a 21-3 record with a 3.26 ERA. In 2022, as a senior, the right-hander was a first-team all-conference pitcher with a 11-0 record to go with his 3.69 ERA and 68 strikeouts. He was the winning pitcher for Denney Crabaugh's 1600th win. In 2021, he was named to the SAC's second team with a 7-3 record and 1.91 ERA. He tossed a complete-game shutout in an NAIA Opening Round elimination game. A native of Fort Collins, Colo., Schoeninger joined the Pioneer League's Northern Colorado Owlz for 11 starts following his senior campaign before returning to OCU as an assistant coach.  Schoeninger and his wife, Madison, live in Edmond with their twins, Booker and Tilly.  

A native of Mustang, Billy Easley is in his 8th year coaching the Stars' catchers. Easley was a three-year starter at catcher for the University of the Ozarks before playing professionally with the Evansville Otters.