ALVA, OKLAHOMA - Northwestern Oklahoma State University Vice President for Athletics Brad Franz announced the hiring of Efrain Barraza to take over the softball program after the resignation of Joe DiPietro.
"I am really excited to have Coach Barraza lead the softball program. He is well respected in the softball coaching community throughout Oklahoma and is going to do an outstanding job for us. I know he is a true leader and has the passion of a Ranger, being an alum. Efrain was a standout student-athlete for us in baseball and went on to have a successful career in fast pitch softball after he was done playing here. Efrain is a high-energy person whose personality is infectious to everyone around him. We are very fortunate to have him join us," stated Vice President for Athletics Brad Franz
Barraza returns to Ranger Softball as the head coach after serving as the Assistant Coach under former coach Ryan Wondrasek. While with the Rangers, he was the infielders coach, helped with field maintenance, along with all game prep.
He has been coaching for the last several years, where he has accumulated 288 wins in various tournaments since 2019. He has led fastpitch softball teams since then, where he has been the head coach along with taking the lead in fundraising.
"I would like to thank Northwestern Oklahoma State University, President Dr. Bo Hannaford, Vice President for Athletics Brad Franz, and everyone involved in this life-changing opportunity for me and my family. As a Northwestern alum, I am excited to be back on campus and ready to get to work with the Lady Rangers Softball program!" Barraza stated.
Before coaching softball, Barraza saw time coaching High School baseball as the assistant for Alva High School. He served as the infielders, outfielders, and hitting coach, and coached first base.
Barraza has experience playing fastpitch with softball clubs, where he won state and national championships while also playing in the International Softball Congress World Tournaments.
He is a former collegiate baseball player at El Paso Community College, where he was selected all-conference. He was a two-year starter on the first and only NJCAA Region V Championship team in program history. He then transferred to Northwestern Oklahoma State University from 2003-2005, where he was the starting shortstop and had an outstanding career
Barraza earned his degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State with a degree in Criminal Justice. He resides in Alva with his wife and three kids.
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