Scott Beyer enters his 12th season as UW-Oshkosh’s head softball coach in 2025. He owns a 302-120 overall record, two NCAA Division III Championship World Series appearances, five national postseason trips, two regional titles, one super regional crown, two WIAC regular season championships, and one WIAC tournament title with the Titans.
Beyer, whose .716 winning percentage ranks second in WIAC history among coaches with at least 60 wins, has coached two All-Americans at UW-Oshkosh, 19 Titans to 32 total all-region honors and 22 players to 41 total all-conference awards, including 2015 WIAC Pitcher of the Year Sara Brunlieb, 2016 WIAC Co-Position Player of the Year Abby Menting and 2021 WIAC Pitcher of the Year Maddie Fink. In 2014 a program record-tying five Titans received all-region accolades and a record six were selected for All-WIAC First Team honors in 2024. Hannah Ritter in 2021 became the first UW-Oshkosh All-American selection since 2010 and Sydney Nemetz became the second in 2024. Sophie Wery was named the inaugural NCAA Division III Rawlings Gold Glove Award catcher in 2023. In Beyer's first 12 seasons at the helm, UW-Oshkosh has established new school season records in at-bats (1,425 in 2024), batting average (.344 in 2014), hits (445 in 2024) doubles (87 in 2017), triples (20 in 2018), home runs (41 in 2015), RBI (255 in 2024), bases on balls (147 in 2024), stolen bases (69 in 2015), slugging percentage (.521 in 2014), innings pitched (349.2 in 2024), fielding percentage (.981 in 2024) and fewest losses in a season (seven in 2024). Beyer's Titans also set WIAC season records of 87 doubles in 2017, a .981 fielding percentage in 2024, 19 shutouts in 2024, 45 wins in 2024 and a 25-game winning streak from Feb. 24 to April 17, 2024.
Last season, Beyer's squad opened the season on a 25-game winning streak on its way to the WIAC regular season championship and a second straight hosting bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. The Titans won the Oshkosh Regional, upset defending national champion Trine University (Ind.) in the Super Regional and grabbed fifth at the Division III Word Series, beating Virginia Wesleyan University, 4-1, in a 9-hour rain delayed series opener. UW-Oshkosh posted a 45-7 record on the season and a 12-2 mark in WIAC competition. The 45 wins are the most all-time in a single season among all programs at UW-Oshkosh. A program-record six Titans were named All-WIAC First Team, including four-time selection Ritter and three-time honoree Nemetz. Morgan Rau and Abby Garceau each earned their second awards while Sydney Rau and Haylie Wittmann were each named to their first career first team. Nemetz was named NFCA All-Region VIII First Team, Abby Freismuth took home second team honors and Ritter and Wittmann were named to the third team. The coaching staff earned its second NFCA All-Region Coaching Staff of the Year award in four years. Nemetz became the second Titan to earn NFCA All-America honors since Beyer took the programs' reigns with a third team nod and the team finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation. Eleven program team records fell during the season, including nation-leading marks of 27 double plays and a .981 team fielding percentage.
In 2023, the Titans won their first 17 games on their way to a 36-9 (10-4 WIAC) record and a hosting bid for the NCAA Regional. Oshkosh finished second in the WIAC and went 2-2 in the Oshkosh Regional. The Titans had five members on the All-WIAC First Team and four on the NFCA All-Region VIII Second Team. Sophie Wery was named the inaugural NCAA Division III Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner at catcher after the conclusion of the Titans' season. UW-Oshkosh posted league-leading marks in batting average (.327), runs (257), hits (408), triples (13), RBI (237), on base percentage (.394), fielding percentage (.973), earned run average (1.68), shutouts (13), runs allowed (101) and hits allowed (255).
The 2022 season saw the Titans post a 26-10 record overall, Beyer’s eighth season with 20 or more wins at the helm. The Titans finished second in the WIAC and saw six Titans earn All-WIAC honors. Oshkosh had four members on the All-WIAC First Team for the 12th time in program history and first since four UW-Oshkosh players were also voted to the top team in 2018. Hannah Ritter and Abby Garceau earned All-Region VIII honors, with Ritter taking first team honors and Garceau landing on the second team. Ritter added to her resume with NFCA All-American Third Team honors. The Titans had a batting average of .330, on base percentage of .391, slugging percentage of .433, nine shutouts, and 209 runs scored in the season.
In 2021, Beyer and UW-Oshkosh produced a 29-13 record, earning a share of the WIAC regular season title with a 10-4 mark and clinching the league postseason championship at home before sweeping through four games as the top seed at the Eau Claire Regional for the program's second Division III World Series trip and first since 1988. The Titans then sandwiched their first World Series win – a 7-1 rout over Tufts University (Mass.) – around a pair of 2-1 setbacks to finish 1-2 at the double-elimination final tournament in Salem, Va. UW-Oshkosh's WIAC titles were its fourth overall and first since 2007 in the regular season and second during the postseason and first since 2008. The Titans, who finished the season ranked sixth in the Division III National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, featured one NFCA All-American, four all-region selections and three All-WIAC First Team honorees after finishing seventh in the nation with a program-record .977 fielding percentage. Ritter was tabbed a Third Team All-American while Fink was voted WIAC Pitcher of the Year. Beyer, along with assistants Alyssa Doomis and Kaitlyn Krol, were named the WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Beyer and the Titans compiled a 5-1 record in 2020 before the remainder of the season was canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In 2019 Beyer’s squad went 23-17 overall and placed fifth in the WIAC standings with a 7-7 record. The Titans finished third at the WIAC Championship and led the conference with a .972 fielding percentage, which ranks fourth in league history.
During the 2018 campaign, Beyer led the Titans back to the Division III Championship, marking the program's first consecutive national postseason appearances since 2007-08. UW-Oshkosh concluded the season with a 26-14 overall record and a runner-up 10-4 mark in the WIAC. The Titans collected a program-record 20 triples on the year.
The 2017 season was highlighted by UW-Oshkosh's first NCAA Division III postseason appearance since 2008 as Beyer coached the Titans to a 33-13 record and the school's first regional championship since 1988. UW-Oshkosh, which received an at-large berth to the Division III Championship, won the UW-La Crosse Regional with a 3-0 record after placing third in the WIAC standings with a 9-5 mark. The Titans established a new WIAC record with 87 doubles and compiled the program's fifth season with at least 30 wins, including the second in Beyer's tenure.
In the 2016 season, Beyer guided UW-Oshkosh to a 26-13 record, including a runner-up 10-4 mark in the WIAC. The Titans, who set a program record with 15 triples, matched their best conference finish since 2008, when UW-Oshkosh also placed second in the league standings.
In 2015 Beyer helped UW-Oshkosh to a 30-12 record, including a 12-4 mark in league play, for the Titans' fourth season with 30 or more victories in school history. The Titans finished third in both the league's regular season standings and the WIAC Championship. UW-Oshkosh, which set school records with 41 home runs and 69 stolen bases, posted its most overall wins since 2008 and the most league victories since 2007.
In his debut season at UW-Oshkosh in 2014, Beyer led the Titans to a 23-11 overall record and an 11-3 mark and third-place finish in the WIAC. UW-Oshkosh also set program records with 76 doubles, a .344 batting average, a .521 slugging percentage, and a .974 fielding percentage.
Beyer came to UW-Oshkosh from UW-Green Bay, where he served as an assistant coach for the NCAA Division I Phoenix since 2011. Beyer helped UW-Green Bay to a 62-74 record, including a 24-22 mark during his first season at the school. In 2013 the Phoenix went 15-25 while recording victories over the University of Notre Dame (Ind.) and the University of Wisconsin.
With Beyer as UW-Green Bay's hitting coach, four members of the Phoenix received All-Horizon League honors. Beyer's duties also included recruiting, fundraising, instructing camps, coaching first base and monitoring the academic progress of student-athletes.
Beyer's family has a strong softball reputation within the state. His wife is former All-WIAC shortstop Laura Van Abel, while his sister-in-law, Maria, was a starting outfielder for the University of Wisconsin. Laura and Maria are co-owners of 360U, a softball training facility in Appleton.
Beyer received his bachelor's degree from UW-Eau Claire in 2006. He played one football season for the Blugolds and was a member of the school's club baseball team. After graduation Beyer has played in New Zealand, helping the 2008 Kapiti Softball Club to a top-five finish at the New Zealand national tournament. He has also competed in numerous tournaments in the International Softball Congress, American Softball Association, and North American Fastpitch Association, including the ISC World Tournament and the ASA World Series.
Beyer and his wife, Laura, reside in Little Chute with their son, William.
(10/10/2024)
