University of Maryland - Baltimore County Men's Baseball

Liam Bowen is entering his sixth season as the head coach of the Retrievers and his fourteenth overall with the program in 2025, an era marked by the most consistent and sustained success in the history of the UMBC Baseball. The most recent achievements under Bowen’s leadership have come in the past two seasons, 2023 and 2024. In those years, the Retrievers have notched two second place finishes and won more America East games than any other team in the conference. The team was one game away from a conference title in 2024, falling just short in the America East Championship game. Bowen is renowned for his ability to recruit and develop high level players with seventeen Retrievers moving on to professional baseball since he arrived at UMBC, most recently MLB tenth round pick Luke Johnson. Overall, Bowen has coached five freshman All-Americans, three America East Pitcher of the Year selections and three America East Rookie of the Year picks during his tenure with the Retrievers. Bowen has also proven himself a capable fundraiser, orchestrating multiple record-breaking campaigns during his time as head coach. These efforts have led to significant facility upgrades and cutting-edge technology for the program, including the installation of a Trackman system in 2023. Before being promoted to head coach, Bowen served as the program’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for eight years, including an America East championship in 2017. During this time, he was instrumental in Retriever pitching staff, lowering the team ERA from 9.01 in 2012 to 3.30 in 2015, the best improvement in the country over that span. The program set many pitching records in 2015, including Conrad Wozniak posting the best single season ERA (1.48) and most strikeouts in a single season (351). Bowen came to Baltimore after working as the pitching coach for Lincoln Memorial University during the 2011 season. The team's ERA fell from 7.67 the year before to 5.42 in 2011. Before joining the Division II school, Bowen worked at St. Mary's College (MD.) for four seasons, where the team's ERA dropped from 7.25 in 2006 to 4.60 in 2009. Bowen earned a bachelor's degree in history from Macalester College in 2006 and a master’s in business administration from the University of Maryland in 2016. At Macalester, he was named All-Conference and also selected as the team's most valuable player in 2004. He lives in Baltimore with his wife Megan and their children, Clare and Alice.” 

    Phil Disher was named Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the UMBC Retrievers in August of 2021. Coach Disher will be primarily responsible for UMBC's hitters and catchers.   Phil Disher has been an integral part of our coaching staff, bringing a wealth of experience and passion to the team. Disher has played a pivotal role in our offensive strategy, helping the team set a school record for runs scored each year. Under his guidance, we achieved impressive averages of 6.6 runs per game in 2022, 6.8 in 2023, and an outstanding 7.2 in 2024. In addition to team achievements, Disher has a proven track record of developing talent. Notably, Disher recruited and coached Leewood Molessa, who went on to become an All-American in his freshman year. This accomplishment highlights their commitment to nurturing players and maximizing their potential. Disher combines personal experience with a keen understanding of the game, making them a valuable asset to our program. Their dedication to fostering a competitive and supportive environment continues to elevate our team and inspire our athletes.     Coach Disher  served as an assistant at the Naval Academy.  In his first season on staff at Navy, Disher assisted Navy to a record of 17-15 overall and a record of 11-12 in the Patriot League. The Midshipmen finished fourth in the Patriot League and earned a spot in the Patriot League Semifinals.     Prior to Navy,  Coach Disher was an assistant coach at Georgetown where he served as the team’s hitting and offensive coach. Disher first joined the Hoyas in 2012 and spent a total of six seasons with Georgetown over two stints (2013-15 and 2018-20).       In between his two stints at Georgetown, Disher was the recruiting coordinator for South Carolina Aiken. During his two seasons with USC Aiken, he also managed the program’s offense and the strength and conditioning program.       Prior to his first season with the Hoyas, Disher started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Wofford where he worked with the hitters, catchers and first basemen for two seasons. He also assisted with the program’s recruiting efforts while also running the Wofford summer and prospect camps. Disher was also the head coach of the Forest City Owls in the Coastal Plains League during the 2012 season.       Professionally, Disher was drafted in the 2007 and 2008 MLB Drafts. He was first selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 45th round and then was picked in the 15th round of the 2008 draft by the Houston Astros. Disher was selected as the Astros short-season team MVP en route to leading the New York Penn League in RBIs and was the top prospect in the league before retiring due to an injury.       Disher played collegiately at South Carolina where he earned All-SEC honors in 2006 and 2007. During his senior season, he was also selected as an NCBWA Third Team All-American. Disher was named the MVP of the 2007 Virginia Regional, was selected to a pair of NCAA All-Regional Teams and to two All-SEC Tournament Teams. Following his time in Columbia, he was named to the South Carolina All-Decade Team.       Disher graduated from South Carolina with a degree in exercise science and a minor in coaching. Coach Disher resides in Maryland with his wife Christie and two daughters.  

Melanie Czepinska, joined the Retriever athletic communications team as an intern in the fall of 2023. Among her duties, she will be working as the secondary contact for the Baseball program. The native of Ellicott City, Md. earned an Associate of Arts degree with Honors in General Studies from Howard Community College in Winter 2022. While at HCC she was a member of the Softball team. At UMBC, she is currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in Media & Communication Studies.