UALR’s Scott Norwood is featured on Ping!Baseball’s Web site in its latest coaching spotlight feature.

Norwood is in his first season as head coach of the Trojans, coming to UALR after spending the past four seasons at Ouachita Baptist University, where he went 101-26 the last two years and led the Tigers to a runner-up finish at the 2008 NCAA Division II World Series.

Norwood led the Tigers all the way to the National Championship game in 2008, where they came up just short in a 6-2 loss to Mount Olive College. OBU ended the year with a 51-16 record and a No. 2 national ranking, earning Norwood South Central Region Coach of the Year honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association.

UALR returns 11 letter winners from last year’s squad, including two of its top three hitters in seniors Matt Apfel and Eric Hanlon. Apfel ranked fifth in the Sun Belt Conference last season with a team-leading .387 batting average, while Hanlon hit .324 and led the team with 16 stolen bases.

The Trojans open the 2009 season with a four-game series against Northern Iowa at Gary Hogan Field, Feb. 20-22. The season opener is set for Feb. 20 at 3 p.m.