Hired in September 2018, Chris Lewis begins his second season as assistant coach for the Peacock baseball program in 2019-20. The 2020 spring season will mark the 23rd year in his coaching career.
Lewis came to Upper Iowa after spending two seasons as the head coach at Dawson Community College in Glendive, Montana. During his two years at DCC, Lewis saw 25 of his players move onto the 4 year level, 7 academic All Americans, 21 named to the dean’s list and had back to back MonDak Conference Players of the Year and the 2017 squad was named an NJCAA Academic All American Team. In 2018, Buccaneer catcher, Reynaldo Pichardo was drafted in the 33rd round by the Texas Rangers. Last season the Buccaneers were nationally ranked at the NJCAA DII level for the first time in program history.
Prior to Dawson CC, Lewis spent one season at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, a program that had won more games over a nine year period than any other four-year collegiate program in the state of Iowa regardless of level. At Northwestern, he was top assistant/recruiting coordinator for the baseball program and in charge of the offense. That season, six of his position players were selected to the Great Plains Athletics All-Conference team.
From 2009-2014, Lewis coached at Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Kentucky under legendary long time head coach, Beauford Sanders. Sanders is in his 27th year at CU, is No.11 on the active list of the winningest coaches in NAIA baseball.
During his time at Campbellsville, the Tigers went 177-102 with two Mid-South Conference championships, three NAIA Opening Round appearances, and a third-place finish in the NCCAA World Series. Lewis served as the infield coach, hitting coach, worked with catchers and was a recruiting coordinator, helping 29 players earn all-conference honors. During his first season at CU, the offense broke school records for at-bats, hits and doubles. National rankings were a commonplace for the Tiger offense, finishing the 2010 season ranked 20th in hits. In 2011, the Tigers were ranked 11th nationally in stolen bases, following suit in 2012 with a national ranking of 11th in stolen bases, 19th in batting average, 24th in hits per game. In 2013, they were once again the top in the nation on the bases, finishing 13th in the county in stolen bases.
In the summer of 2009, Lewis was the inaugural head coach for the Portland Baseball Club, a college prep team featuring players from the Portland, Oregon area. The team captured the Valley Conference championship, the Oregon State title and a 35-win season. The roster had two future NCAA DI signees and one future MLB draft pick.
In the summers of 2007 and 2008, Lewis was the top assistant for NW Star Academy, another college prep team based out of the Portland, Oregon area. While with NW Star, they earned two Valley Conference titles and two Oregon State Championships and a NW Regional Crown. Capping the 2008 summer being named Senior Babe Ruth World Series Champions and a nominee for Oregon Sports Team of the Year. In those two summers, the rosters contained 10 future NCAA DI signees and seven future MLB draft selections.
In 2006, Lewis was named the head coach at Bethany University in Scotts Valley, California. In his one season with the Bruins they had the first 30-win season in school history and set 40 team and individual records. That team led Region II in stolen bases and JP LaPointe was named the first All-American in the history of the baseball program.
In 2008 and 2009, Lewis was an assistant coach for Jon Strohmaier at Sherwood High School in Sherwood, Oregon. Those two teams claimed consecutive Northwest Oregon Conference championships.
In the summer of 2006, Lewis was the head coach for the Portland Titans of the Pacific International League, leading the team to the best finish in program history. From 2002-05, Lewis was the top assistant, recruiting coordinator at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, bringing in one of the largest recruiting classes to date.
Lewis spent the summer of 2004 as an assistant coach with the Salinas Valley Packers in the California Collegiate League. The roster had Beau Mills, who went on to set the NAIA home run record, and the 2007 NAIA Player of the Year, earning a first round selection in the 2007 MLB Draft.
Lewis received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education & Health from Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, OR and his Master of Arts in Organization Leadership from Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, KY. Lewis resides in West Union with his wife Stephanie and their daughters McKinley and Whitley.
