TOWSON, Md. – Liam Bowen, the 2026 America East Conference Co-Coach of the Year who has led UMBC for the last seven seasons, has been named the new head coach for the Towson University baseball team, announced by Vice President of Athletics Dr. Steven C. Eigenbrot.
 
Bowen replaces Matt Tyner, who retired from coaching after leading the Towson program since the 2018 season. Bowen will be the program's fourth coach since Towson moved to Division I in 1980 (not counting the 2020 COVID season).
 
"Liam is a proven winner who has illustrated strength in maximizing resources," Eigenbrot said. "His local ties and familiarity with our recruiting territory represents a natural opportunity to hit the ground running and maximize the opportunity to advance Towson baseball. I am excited for the next chapter with Liam at the helm."
 
Bowen joined the UMBC program in 2012 as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator, being promoted to head coach starting in the 2020 season. As the team's head coach for seven years, he led the Retrievers to winning seasons in three of his final four seasons, including two of the three winningest campaigns in UMBC history since 2002, finishing in the top-two of the America East regular season standings in 2023, 2024 and 2026. 
 
"I am thrilled to be here. I think this is an amazing opportunity with a high ceiling – a place where you can put championship level baseball on the field," Bowen said. "To be able to sink our teeth into this new challenge and to know that there is so much potential at the same time is exciting."
 
This past season, UMBC had an America East-best nine all-league players, including the conference's player of the year, the first in program history, and four players on the first team.  UMBC finished the season with a league-best .292 batting average and .405 on-base percentage.
 
Including Bowen's time as UMBC's pitching coach and head coach, UMBC has had the America East Pitcher of the Year three times and the America East Rookie of the Year three times. Two-time America East Pitcher of the Year Luke Johnson was a 10^th round pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft, the program's highest pick in the draft since 1993, and is currently pitching for the Fredericksburg Nationals.  Bowen was also the pitching coach for UMBC for the 2017 America East title, where starting pitcher Hunter Dolshun was selected as the America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
 
Prior to UMBC, Bowen was the pitching coach at Lincoln Memorial University in 2011, dropping the team's ERA over two points from the previous season. He was at St. Mary's College in Maryland from 2006-09, with the team's pitching staff having a 4.60 ERA in his final year of 2009.
 
Bowen played college baseball at Macalester College in Minnesota from 2003-06, starting for the Scots his final three seasons.  He led the team with six victories in eight starts as a senior in 2006, having a 4.19 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 58 innings in 2004 to be named team MVP.
 
A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Bowen graduated from Macalester in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in history, earning his master's degree in business administration from the University of Maryland in 2016.  He and his wife, Megan, have two children, Clare and Alice.