After leading the Northwest Missouri State University baseball program for a quarter century, head coach Darin Loe has announced his retirement following the 2024 season.
 
"I have been blessed to have the opportunity to work at Northwest and raise my family in such a close-knit community," Loe said. "I cherish the relationships that I have had the opportunity to build in Maryville, on campus and especially in our athletic department. The thing I will miss the most after retirement is the interactions in our department and with our student athletes.  When I look at the athletic directors that I have had the privilege to work for, they have all been great leaders, but even better people. They have made it enjoyable to come to work every day for 25 years. I believe that if you can work at a place where your boss is honest, leads with integrity and truly cares about you and your program, no day really feels like work. I appreciate all the love and support from my wife and kids. It's not easy being a coach's family. They have been a vital part of me being able to be a Bearcat coach. Just because I will be leaving the duties of head baseball coach does not mean I will be far away from Northwest. I will always be pulling for all of our sports as they are also all led by tremendous people and truly want the next baseball coach to have great success. #OABAAB."
 
Bearcat Director of Athletics Andy Peterson applauded coach Loe for his 25 years of service to Northwest Athletics.
 
"I am so thankful for Coach Loe and his leadership of our baseball program for the last two plus decades," Peterson said. "Baseball in this part of the country and in the MIAA is an uphill battle every year, and Skip has carried that yoke for us with nothing but grace and integrity. We will miss the wisdom and passion for this place that Coach Loe brings daily to our department. I'm extremely happy for him and Lisa to be able to walk into retirement together and wish them nothing but the best for them as they begin a new adventure."
 
Loe has served as a collegiate manager for 31 years and has posted 742 career victories. He is the all-time leader in wins at Northwest Missouri State University with 586 career wins, which includes 403 triumphs in MIAA contests.
 
Loe guided the Bearcats to the MIAA regular season title in 2018. It marked the first MIAA regular season title for Northwest since the 1983 season. He has had 102 student-athletes capture all-MIAA honors, with 15 of them capturing first-team status.
 
He is one of 25 active NCAA Div. II head coaches with at least 700 career wins. Loe has tallied 742 triumphs in 31 seasons as a head coach. Loe is one of four active MIAA coaches with 700 or more wins with Bob Fornelli (1,067 – Fort Hays State, Emporia State, Pittsburg State) and Brad Hill (901 – Central Missouri, Kansas State, Emporia State), Sunny Golloway (771 – Oral Roberts, Oklahoma, Auburn, East Central, Northeastern State). Loe is Northwest's all-time coaching wins leader with 586 victories. Loe has a record of 403-416 in MIAA games only. Loe took over as the Bearcat skipper in 2000 and ranks No. 4 in all-time MIAA baseball coaching victories (586).
 
MIAA Coaching Wins (through April 2, 2024)
1. Bob Fornelli (ESU/PSU – 2004-pres.)         1,067
2. Buzz Verduzco (MWSU – 2000-2023)        629
3. Steve Anson (Washburn – 1989-2014)       622
4. Darin Loe (Northwest – 2000-pres.)           586
5. Steve Bever (PSU – 1991-2012)                  565
 
Before arriving in Maryville, Loe served three seasons as the head coach at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. There, he led the Wildcats to HAAC tournament championships in 1997 and 1998 and to a third-place regional finish in 1998.

Loe's first head coaching gig came at Missouri Valley College in Marshall back in 1994. He spent three years there and led the Vikings to their first HAAC tournament appearance in the process.

Loe was a dominating collegiate pitcher at Valley City State University in Valley City, N.D. More than 20 years since his last pitch there, Loe still holds program records for career wins (28) and career strikeouts (380). He led the NAIA with 121 strikeouts in 1987, which still stands as a program record. Loe was also a standout quarterback for the Vikings and entered the Valley City State Hall of Fame in October 2001.

At the culmination of his collegiate career, Loe was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 26th round of the 1989 amateur draft. He played three seasons in the Mariner's organization before entering the coaching ranks.

Loe obtained his bachelor's degree from Valley City State University in 1991 and a master's degree from North Dakota State University in the spring of 1994 where he served as an assistant coach.

He was inducted into the Valley City State University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000. He was inducted into the Ada-Borup-West High School Hall of Fame in 2022.

Loe and his wife, Lisa, reside in Maryville. The couple has two daughters, Abby and Macy, and a son, Cooper.

Bearcat athletics will honor Loe and his contributions to the program with a pre-game ceremony at 1:30 p.m. prior to the start of Northwest's home game vs. Newman on April 13.