Leyba Returns to Beaver Softball

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Eric Leyba has rejoined the Oregon State Softball coaching staff, Head Coach Laura Berg announced on Wednesday.

Leyba, who spent five years at Oregon State from 2018-23, makes his return after three seasons at Texas A&M.

Coming back to Oregon State feels like coming home. My family and I have always had a special place in our hearts for Beaver Nation and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return, Leyba said. The foundation here has always been about hard work, relationships and competing at the highest level, and I am excited to be back in Corvallis, reconnect with this community and get to build on that with our student-athletes.

Across three seasons in College Station, the Aggies posted a combined 130-45 record and hosted three regionals, which featured a trip to the NCAA Austin Super Regional in 2024 where the team won a game over No. 1 Texas.

Working with the hitters and infielders during his time at TAMU, five different Aggie student-athletes finished with a batting average north of .400, including Mya Perez, who earned All-America honors in consecutive seasons and was a two-time All-SEC selection thanks to a combined 35 home runs and 129 RBI in the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

During his first stint at OSU, Leyba helped the team to one of the best seasons in program history, as the Beavers made their second ever trip to the Women's College World Series and ended the season ranked No. 8 in the nation in 2022. For their efforts, Oregon State's staff was named NFCA Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

OSU finished the campaign with a record of 39-22 in a season that included a 17-game winning streak and seven wins over ranked opponents. The Beavers won seven games against ranked opponents and the duo of Frankie Hammoude and Mariah Mazon both earned All-America honors for their performances that year.

A Deming, New Mexico native, Leyba originally came to Corvallis after previous stints at Churchill High School, the University of Oregon and New Mexico State. The head coach at Churchill, he led the Lancers to a state title in 2016 and was one of the top 20 all-time winningest high school coaches in Oregon history at the time of his departure.

Lebya's appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes.

Oregon State softball will return to action in 2027 after a record-breaking 2026 season that featured a program-record 62 home runs and Jaeya Butler earning West Coast Conference Player of the Year and NFCA Third Team All-Region honors.

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Players Mentioned

Jaeya Butler

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