NIU should give Walt Owens the first pitch at being the Huskie baseball coach.

Owens was the coach when the baseball program was cut in 1982, and was never actually fired. He has kept up with scouting the high school talent and is familiar with the system and NIU in general.

If NIU feels that a new baseball coach would be the best thing for the team and the school, then so be it. However, it seems strange that NIU would take out advertisements looking for a coach when they have a knowledgable man right on their own diamond.

Owens’ tangible assets simply include the ease he would have in resuming his postion. Although starting a program from scratch is difficult for any man and university, Owens would have a background of what the program was like before it fell beneath the budgetary ax.

Additionally, Owens has the intangible assets to be the Huskie coach. His past experience at NIU will give him the background to know the difficulties and problems the weather might give his players. Although any coach from the rust-belt would know what it is like to play baseball outside in March, Owens past experience will allow him to know the little idiosyncrasies of the diamond.

Owens has expressed a strong interest in getting back into the coach’s box. If NIU can find a better coach for the team, then that’s great. However, they shouldn’t feel the need to look past first base to fill the postion.

Owen should be the coach, not some guy from left field.