University of the Ozarks

Ben Barnes enters his first season as head coach of the softball program. He was hired in the fall of 2026. 

At Ozarks

• Served as a volunteer assistant coach

Coaching Experience

• Head coach of the Sixers 2K5 Mississippi travel team, leading them to three world series championships finals
• Won back-to-back world series titles with Sixers 2K5
• Program produced 32 collegiate players during his eight years as head coach
• As an assistant at Diberville High School in Mississippi, Barnes helped turn the program from a winless team into a playoff program
• Part of a staff that was awarded the Harrison County (Miss.) Coach of the Year award
• Camp instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College           

Hometown

• Mississippi

Education

• Master's degree in special education from William Carey University (2018)
• Bachelor's degree from University of Southern Mississippi