LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University softball and head coach Heather Tarter officially announced staff additions and updates recently with three experienced individuals being added to the coaching ranks in Travis Foster, Jay Ozier, and Lauren Beier. The trio of coach additions brings with them a plethora of experience as Foster spent last season with Clarion (NCAA DII - PSAC), Ozier most recently working with Freeburg High School and SLU (NCAA DI - A-10), while Beier just finished up her collegiate career at a familiar adversary in Drury. Tarter, assistant coach Hannah Dow, and the new trio will continue to lead and push a Bearcats squad that made it to the GLVC Championship semifinal in 2024 while garnering numerous postseason awards while also continuing to oversee the build-up of the program in its entirety.

Travis Foster | Assistant Coach
Foster joins the Bearcats after coaching at Clarion University, another Division II squad out in Pennsylvania, where he led training and coaching efforts for catchers and mental performance while aiding in the coaching of defense and hitting. Previously, Foster has a multitude of experiences with work as a camp clinician with Penn State, Mercyhurst, Clarion, Triple Crown, Xtreme Dimension, and Maxx Fastpitch while serving as a lead instructor for All American Collegiate Catchers Camps, which runs camps across 30 states behind one-on-one instruction for elite softball catchers. Foster has previously held roles at the high school level as an athletic director and with coaching duties in softball and basketball.

Jay Ozier ('91) | Volunteer Assistant Coach
Ozier most recently coached at Freeburg during the 2024 season while working with Saint Louis University's softball program as a volunteer assistant coach from 2018-2023, focusing his efforts in hitting and offense. Before working with Freeburg and SLU, Ozier was the hitting coach at Missouri Baptist, where he helped spark the Spartans to the third-highest gain across all offensive categories in the NAIA. He also held positions with Smithton, New Athens, and as a coach with select softball, which saw over 14 players go on to play in the collegiate ranks during a three-year term at the helm of the Southern Illinois Falcons.

Lauren Beier | Volunteer Assistant Coach
Beier finished her collegiate career this past spring, where she played for GLVC-foe Drury and earned First Team All-GLVC during her final season while being a three-time All-GLVC selection over her career. The Pevely, Missouri-native started all but eight games in her tenure with the Panthers, competing in 217 games overall while batting .304, recording over 200 hits, 70 extra-base knocks, and finishing with a slugging percentage of .508. She currently gives lessons through Beier FastPitch while serving as the head coach of the 16U STL Naturals Midwest fastpitch team.

Head Coach Heather Tarter on Foster, Ozier, and Beier
"I'm thrilled about how our staff has rounded out for this season. Coach Foster brings a vast amount of coaching experience at various levels and programs, leading those teams to compete at the highest levels. He's continued to maintain and build his southern Illinois connections at the same time, allowing us to further strengthen our outreach and notoriety in the region. Coach Ozier has experience at the Division I level and works with a lot of the local talent in the Metro area, which will assist us in connecting further into our local roots as a program. Coach Beier brings five years of collegiate experience with her career at Drury and works with a lot of talent in the St Louis area. Adding Travis, Jay, and Lauren will help us continue to grow as a program and push us even closer to our goal of winning championships."


UP NEXT
The 2025 season sits just around the corner with the Bearcats' 2025 schedule set to be released soon.
 

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