LOREN TORRES -- HEAD BASEBALL COACH

ltorres@pointpark.edu
(412) 392-3845

2nd season at Point Park
Alma mater: Trinity Int'l-South Fla. ('96), Northcentral Univ. '10 (Masters Degree)

Record at Point Park: 51-39 (2 years)
Career Record: 158-143-2 (7 years)

In just two seasons as head coach of the Point Park University baseball team, Loren Torres has made big strides in getting the program back to its long tradition of success.

Point Park had a big turnaround in the 2011 season as it was 38-13 overall, won the AMC Regular Season Championship at 14-6, reached the finals of the AMC Tournament and was ranked #23 in the final NAIA Baseball Coaches Top 25 Poll. The Pioneers nearly qualified for the NAIA national tournament, but they were the first team left out of the at-large bids for the NAIA Opening Round.

For his efforts, Torres was recognized by his peers as American Mideast Conference Coach of the Year in 2011. It was the second time that Torres received a conference Coach of the Year honor. He was also named the top coach in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2004 while at NAIA Judson (IL) University. Interestingly, that was also his second year at that school, and that year was the start of a big turnaround for the Judson program.

Torres was hired at Point Park in the summer of 2009. His first season of 2010 saw the Pioneers go 13-26 overall and they placed last in the AMC. But the Pioneers have made big strides in the short time that Torres has been in charge. He has laid a foundation for success for returning players and also the talented recruits that he has welcomed to campus.

With the direction that Torres is providing, the Point Park baseball program has its eyes on re-establishing the tradition of Pioneers Baseball. Point Park has been to the NAIA World Series 10 times, which is tied for fifth most all-time.

Torres has 12 years of coaching experience on the collegiate level, including seven years as a head coach. His coaching resume also includes nine years as scout for Major League Baseball teams.

Torres is the eighth baseball coach in Point Park history. The first year of baseball was the the 1967-68 school year.

"I am very honored to be named the head baseball coach at Point Park," said Torres upon his hiring in July 2009. "Point Park has a rich tradition of baseball, and our goal will be to build on that tradition."

Torres' collegiate head-coaching experience prior to Point Park came at Judson (Ill.) University, an NAIA member in Elgin, Ill., where he was the head coach for five seasons from 2003-2007.

Torres left Judson after the 2007 season to pursue a business opportunity as the owner of a franchise in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He owned a franchise for SEKO Worldwide, a freight forwarding company based in Itaska, Ill., but after accomplishing his goals with the organization, he was excited to return to the collegiate baseball coaching ranks.

"I find it very rewarding to impact the lives of student athletes," said Torres said at the time. "I am excited to once again have the opportunity to do that, and to continue my career in college baseball."

While at Judson, Torres compiled a won-loss record that was impressive considering the past history of the baseball program. Torres had a record of 107-104-2 (.507), but the program's all-time winning percentage prior to his arrival was just above .300. The Eagles' baseball program was started in 1967, and Torres holds the record for most career wins.

Torres was named the Coach of the Year in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2004 after guiding Judson to a 27-20 season. At the time, the 27 victories were the most in a single season, but that record was broken this past year.

Under Torres, Judson made four appearances in the CCAC tournament and two appearances in the National Christian College Athletic Association tournament. When the 2004 team made the NCCAA tourney, it was the first time that Judson appeared in a national tournament. The Eagles also went to the NCCAA tourney in 2007.

He posted three 20-win seasons at Judson and won at least 18 games in each of his five seasons.

Before becoming the head coach at Judson, Torres was an assistant coach at Savannah (Ga.) College of Art and Design in 2002. He got his start in coaching at his alma mater, Trinity International University-South Florida in Miami, Fla., where he was an assistant coach for four seasons from 1997-2000.

From 2007-2009, he was a scout for the Kansas City Royals, and his responsibility included covering the South Florida and Puerto Rico areas. While at Judson, Torres served as a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies with responsibilities of covering the Midwestern states of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana. He scouted the state of Georgia for the Cincinnati Reds while at SCAD.

His coaching experience includes one year as a high school coach. In 2001 he was the head coach at Northwest Christian Academy in Miami. Torres guided Northwest Christian Academy to a No. 2 ranking in the state of Florida, and he had three players drafted in the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. He was the Miami-Dade Coach of the Year in 2001.

Torres finished his playing career at Trinity International-South Florida in 1996 as a three-time all-region performer. He set school records for batting average and stolen bases in 1995.

Torres is a 1992 graduate of Nova High School in Davie, Fla., where he played baseball for legendary coach Pat McQuaid.  Nova has won several state championships during McQuaid's 34 years, and the Titans were ranked No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America after winning state titles in 2004 and 2005. Torres was inducted into the Nova Hall of Fame in 2001.

Before moving to Miami as a teenager, Torres lived in Patillas, Puerto Rico.

Torres earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Trinity International-South Florida in 1996. In the spring of 2010, Torres earned a master's degree in sports management and leadership from Northcentral University.

While at Judson, he served as the university's fitness center director. In addition to being an assistant coach at Trinity International-South Florida, Torres also served as an admissions counselor.

THE TORRES FILE

Biographical Information

Name: Loren Torres

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Place of birth: Patillas, Puerto Rico

College (graduation year): Trinity International-South Florida (1996), Northcentral Univ. (Masters, 2010)

Years as collegiate head coach: seven

Record as collegiate head coach: 158-143-2 (.525)

Record at Point Park University: 51-39 (.567)

Year-by-Year Coaching Summary

2010-11  Head Coach at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa.

2003-07  Head Coach at Judson (IL) University in Elgin, IL

2002  Assistant Coach at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga.

2001  Head Coach at Northwest Christian Academy in Miami, Fla.

1997-2000  Assistant coach at Trinity International-South Florida, in Miami, Fla.