William Woods University Men's Baseball

    John Cavness was named the Head Baseball coach in August 2021 after serving as an assistant for both William Woods and State Fair Community College. Cavness, a 2016 William Woods graduate, was a graduate assistant for the Owls for two seasons overseeing the pitching staff before moving to State Fair to be the pitching coach under head coach Jud Kindle. In his two seasons at the helm of the Road Runner pitching staff, the NJCAA team won a record 35 games and finished runner-up in the Region 16 tournament. His staff finished in the top three in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts among Region 16 teams. While at State Fair John coached the first draft pick in program history when Gavin Jones was selected in the 27th round by the then Oakland Athletics.       Coach Cavness was hired in January 2021 by William Woods University as a full-time assistant coach as well as the head transfer admissions counselor for the University’s admissions department. In the 2021 season, the Owls finished third in the regular season with a 15-11 conference record. In August 2021 Cavness was named the Head Coach of the Owls baseball program. In the spring of 2022, the Owls finished 30-18 for third place in the AMC. In 2025, WWU finished 29-22 overall and 20-16 in the AMC and led three All-AMC selections (two first team and one second team) and an AMC Gold Glove RF. In his tenure the Owls have a record of 111-84-1.       The 2022-23 season marked Coach Cavness' second year at the helm of the William Woods baseball program. The Owls finished with a 28-20 overall record and advanced to the second round of the AMC Conference Championship. Following the season, William Woods graduated 12 seniors, making the upcoming recruiting cycle Cavness' first opportunity to build a roster entirely from his own recruiting efforts.     In 2023-24, the Owls posted a 24-22-1 regular-season record and earned the No. 5 seed in the AMC Conference Tournament. The season featured breakout performances from Kamron Morriss and freshman Kaden Kinsler, both of whom earned First-Team All-Conference honors. William Woods also set program records for hit-by-pitches, with Matt Hanson and Taylor Hopkins finishing first and second individually in the category. The Owls' season came to an end following consecutive losses in the conference tournament.     Cavness guided the Owls to another successful campaign in 2024-25, finishing with a 29-22 overall record. The pitching staff made significant strides, lowering its team ERA to 6.50, while Kinsler continued to be a key contributor offensively. William Woods advanced to the third round of the AMC Conference Tournament before concluding its season.     The 2025-26 season marked William Woods' first year competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference and the most successful season of Cavness' tenure. The Owls finished 29-22 overall, including a 17-11 mark in conference play. A split with nationally ranked Missouri Baptist secured the No. 3 seed in the Heart postseason tournament. William Woods advanced to the Heart Championship Game after an impressive tournament run. Although the Owls remained undefeated entering the championship round, conference tournament format rules resulted in Mount Mercy being awarded the conference title without an if-necessary game being played.     By reaching the conference championship game, Cavness led the Owls to an at-large berth in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round in Kingsport, Tennessee. William Woods competed in a challenging bracket that included eventual NAIA National Champion Tennessee Wesleyan.     Prior to his coaching career, John played at William Woods University for four years majoring in Sports Management. From 2013-2016 Cavness was the backbone of the pitching staff earning a William Woods University record of 23 wins on the mound. Cavness is also the school leader in games started with 49 and second in innings pitched having thrown 263.1 innings over his four years. While a player for the Owls Cavness was named AMC All-First team in 2015 and AMC All-Second team in 2014. John is a 4 time AMC All-Academic team selection and earned an American Midwest Conference championship in 2014, with a National Championship berth.       Cavness was the pitching coach for the Jefferson City Renegades of the MINK Collegiate League in 2018, leading them to their first ever playoff appearance. John has also been the pitching coach for the Boone Bigfoots of the Coastal Plains League.  The Cassville, Mo., native resides in Fulton, Mo., with his wife Sydnae Cavness and their son, Jrue.  

Coach Bracht enters his sixth season coaching with the Owls. He started in 2018-2019 as a graduate assistant and has stayed on the coaching staff ever since, serving as the outfield coach for three years before moving up to work with infielders in 2024-2025.   Bracht graduated from Mexico High School in 2015 with a commitment to play for William Woods University. In his time at Woods, Tyler played in 147 games boasting a .282 batting average. He notched 112 hits with 89 runs scored and 51 RBIs while swiping 20 bags. Tyler held a .963 fielding percentage playing outfield and infield for the Owls over his four years. Coach Bracht’s senior year the Owls were ranked #22 in the nation, the highest ranking in the past decade.   Tyler has a BA in Exercise Science with a minor in Business Administration, as well as an MBA and an M.Ed. While being an assistant for the Owls baseball staff, Tyler also serves as the Assistant Director of Global Admissions for William Woods University. Coach Bracht also coached for the Jefferson City Renegades for three seasons, after playing for the Renegades for a year.  

Coach Gibbs starts his first season with the Owls coaching staff in 2025 after a successful playing career. Isaiah Gibbs, originally from Ironton, Mo., graduated from Woods in 2023 with a BA in Exercise Science and a minor in Spanish. In his playing career, Gibbs was named a 3-time AMC All-Conference player and won 2 AMC Gold Glove awards in rightfield. Isaiah played in 199 games for the Owls with a career .355 batting average totaling 233 hits with 28 homeruns, 59 doubles, and 161 RBIs. Gibbs sits atop the Owls record books in almost every hitting statistic including hits, doubles, and games played.   Gibbs played for the Battle Creek Battle Jacks in 2021 (Northwoods League). In 35 games with the Battle Jacks, Isaiah hit .258 with 31 base knocks. He drove in 13 RBIs in his 35 games, adding 7 doubles to his stat line.