Lemonis Announces Addition of Zach Lucas to Indiana Coaching Staff
7/13/2017 2:54:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana baseball head coach Chris Lemonis announced the addition of Zach Lucas as an assistant coach on Thursday. A four-year letterwinner at Louisville (2011-15) where he was recruited and coached by Lemonis, Lucas brings two years of experience as an assistant coach at East Tennessee State.
Lucas steps in for volunteer assistant Matt Reida, who accepted an assistant coaching job with the Xavier Musketeers.
"I had an opportunity to recruit Coach Lucas," said Lemonis. "He was a tough, hard-nosed ball player who has had a couple great years of coaching at East Tennessee State. He played a significant role in helping the Buccaneers' offense climb to a .309 average in 2017 and a .307 average in 2016. He'll have an opportunity to work with our infielders and our hitters while he's here. We are excited to have him; he knows our system and he knows our style. Zach will be a great fit for Indiana Baseball.
We are excited that Matt Reida was able to take an opportunity at Xavier. It is a great step for him as he moves toward a bright future in his coaching career. We appreciate everything that he brought to our program in his two years here."
"I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity that Coach Lemonis has given me to work with this great baseball program," said Lucas. "I have the upmost respect for Coach Lemonis after playing for him and couldn't be happier to be on the other side of things now, working for him. I am excited to get started and look forward to working with Coach Lemonis, Coach 'Cheese', Coach Bunn, and for Indiana University!"
After serving as the volunteer assistant coach with the Buccaneers in 2016, Lucas was promoted to a full-time assistant in 2017. He worked primarily with ETSU's hitters, outfielders and baserunners.
This past season, ETSU hit .309 as a team, good for 17th in the country, while tallying 130 doubles (13th nationally), 655 hits (17th), 7.2 runs per game (23rd), and had a .468 slugging percentage (26th). Chris Cook led the Buccaneers offensively, tallying 91 hits (12th nationally), 62 runs (21st), and 143 total bases (36th).
Another hitter that Lucas tutored, Hagen Owenby, was drafted for the second straight-year in the 14th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Owenby, who started all 59 games for ETSU in 2017. He hit .346 (81-for-234) with 12 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 40 walks, 54 runs and 51 RBI while registering a .573 slugging and .438 on-base percentages – both marking team bests.
In 2016, Lucas assisted with the Buccaneer outfielders and offense, and his work paid huge dividends for the ball club. As a team, the Blue and Gold ranked fifth in the country in home runs per game (1.32), seventh in home runs (75), 21st in batting average (.307), 15th scoring (7.5) and 25th in runs (430). Defensively, the Buccaneer outfield committed only five errors.
Individually, ETSU had four position players taken in the 2016 MLB First Year Draft, along with two All-Americans, four all-conference selections and the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby champion. Trey York (9th round by the Milwaukee Brewers), Owenby (14th round by Pittsburgh Pirates), Cook (30th round by Pittsburgh) and Aaron Maher (38th round by Pittsburgh) were all selected in the draft, marking the most Bucs taken in the MLB Draft since 2006. York and Owenby also earned All-American honors, while Owenby became the second player in program history to win the College Home Run Derby.
Lucas was a four-year letterwinner for head coach Dan McDonnell at Louisville from 2011-2015. Lucas played in 206 career games (184 starts) and helped guide the Cardinals to two appearances in the College World Series. The Louisville native was a two-time team captain (2014 and 2015) and earned third team All-American honors in 2014. Lucas was drafted in the 27th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014, while he also earned the Jimmy Carraro Award – which is given to a Louisville player who exemplifies strong character both on and off the field.
Lucas steps in for volunteer assistant Matt Reida, who accepted an assistant coaching job with the Xavier Musketeers.
"I had an opportunity to recruit Coach Lucas," said Lemonis. "He was a tough, hard-nosed ball player who has had a couple great years of coaching at East Tennessee State. He played a significant role in helping the Buccaneers' offense climb to a .309 average in 2017 and a .307 average in 2016. He'll have an opportunity to work with our infielders and our hitters while he's here. We are excited to have him; he knows our system and he knows our style. Zach will be a great fit for Indiana Baseball.
We are excited that Matt Reida was able to take an opportunity at Xavier. It is a great step for him as he moves toward a bright future in his coaching career. We appreciate everything that he brought to our program in his two years here."
"I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity that Coach Lemonis has given me to work with this great baseball program," said Lucas. "I have the upmost respect for Coach Lemonis after playing for him and couldn't be happier to be on the other side of things now, working for him. I am excited to get started and look forward to working with Coach Lemonis, Coach 'Cheese', Coach Bunn, and for Indiana University!"
After serving as the volunteer assistant coach with the Buccaneers in 2016, Lucas was promoted to a full-time assistant in 2017. He worked primarily with ETSU's hitters, outfielders and baserunners.
This past season, ETSU hit .309 as a team, good for 17th in the country, while tallying 130 doubles (13th nationally), 655 hits (17th), 7.2 runs per game (23rd), and had a .468 slugging percentage (26th). Chris Cook led the Buccaneers offensively, tallying 91 hits (12th nationally), 62 runs (21st), and 143 total bases (36th).
Another hitter that Lucas tutored, Hagen Owenby, was drafted for the second straight-year in the 14th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Owenby, who started all 59 games for ETSU in 2017. He hit .346 (81-for-234) with 12 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 40 walks, 54 runs and 51 RBI while registering a .573 slugging and .438 on-base percentages – both marking team bests.
In 2016, Lucas assisted with the Buccaneer outfielders and offense, and his work paid huge dividends for the ball club. As a team, the Blue and Gold ranked fifth in the country in home runs per game (1.32), seventh in home runs (75), 21st in batting average (.307), 15th scoring (7.5) and 25th in runs (430). Defensively, the Buccaneer outfield committed only five errors.
Individually, ETSU had four position players taken in the 2016 MLB First Year Draft, along with two All-Americans, four all-conference selections and the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby champion. Trey York (9th round by the Milwaukee Brewers), Owenby (14th round by Pittsburgh Pirates), Cook (30th round by Pittsburgh) and Aaron Maher (38th round by Pittsburgh) were all selected in the draft, marking the most Bucs taken in the MLB Draft since 2006. York and Owenby also earned All-American honors, while Owenby became the second player in program history to win the College Home Run Derby.
Lucas was a four-year letterwinner for head coach Dan McDonnell at Louisville from 2011-2015. Lucas played in 206 career games (184 starts) and helped guide the Cardinals to two appearances in the College World Series. The Louisville native was a two-time team captain (2014 and 2015) and earned third team All-American honors in 2014. Lucas was drafted in the 27th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2014, while he also earned the Jimmy Carraro Award – which is given to a Louisville player who exemplifies strong character both on and off the field.
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