Louisville, Ky. The University of Louisville head baseball coach Dan McDonnell announced the hiring of Chris Lemonis as his top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Lemonis leaves his position of associate head coach under Fred Jordan at The Citadel after being part of The Citadel program for 16 years as a player and coach. Lemonis will work with the hitters and outfielders for Cardinal baseball.
“First and foremost I would like to tell everyone thank you, first for the opportunity to play in The Citadel program and second for being able to coach for so many years,” said Lemonis. “It has been an honor to coach all of the great players and champions during my time at The Citadel.”
Lemonis just completed his 12th season as a member of The Citadel baseball coaching staff and his fifth season as the associate head coach to Fred Jordan. He served as the primary hitting and outfield instructor while also handling the responsibilities of recruiting coordinator after spending his first six seasons as the second assistant in charge of catchers and hitters. The Bulldogs won five Southern Conference Tournament Championships, four regular season titles and made five NCAA regional appearances during his tenure as a Citadel coach.
“We are very excited for this opportunity for Chris,” said Citadel head baseball coach Fred Jordan. “He will do a tremendous job. Obviously we are disappointed with his departure, but I definitely feel that it is a great career move for him.”
Under Lemonis' guidance, the Bulldog hitters have assaulted The Citadel record books as 40 of the Bulldogs' season, career, and game offensive records are held by hitters coached by Lemonis. He was also pivotal in the development of a total of seven Citadel All-Americans, two freshman All-Americans, 18 first team All-SoCon performers, one SoCon Player of the Year and one SoCon Freshman of the Year. Of those, seven players were selected in the amateur draft, including Matt Matulia who was recently picked by the Chicago Cubs in the 2006 MLB Draft.
Lemonis, a four-year letterman, was one of the most prolific power hitters in The Citadel history. An All-SoCon and all-state performer his senior season, Lemonis paced the Bulldogs with a .367 average, 10 home runs and 66 RBI. He was also named to the All-SoCon Tournament team and was a second team All-SoCon selection following his sophomore campaign. In all, Lemonis spent 16 years with The Citadel baseball program after walking on the team in 1988.
“After so many years with The Citadel, I have such an appreciation for The Citadel community as it has meant a lot to me. I also want to say thank you to all the great Bulldog fans for all of their support,” added Lemonis. “This was an opportunity I just could not pass up. I get a chance to work with another great Citadel guy [McDonnell] and we are going to try to get this Louisville program off the ground.”
Lemonis and McDonnell were together as members of Jordan's staff from 1995-2000, after playing together from 1989-1992.
"This program will be driven by great people and work ethic, and I can't think of an individual that exemplifies those qualities better than Chris," said McDonnell.
"He will leave no stone unturned on the recruiting trail as he brings a great deal of energy to the program. He has already hit the ground running on the path to lifting this program to unprecedented heights."
“Chris has had a tremendous impact on Citadel baseball over the last 12-15 years and that is greatly appreciated,” commented Jordan.
For more information on The Citadel Baseball, visit the official home of Bulldog Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
