CLEVELAND, Tenn.-When Major League baseball teams report for training camps in mid-February, a former Lee University baseball player and an ex-pitching coach will be working for the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles. Lance Zawadzki will be the assistant hitting coach for the Tigers and Drew French will be the pitching coach for the Orioles.
Zawadzki joined Lee as a transfer from the San Diego State University program during the 2006-07 season. Before leaving San Diego State team he is reported to have been the first player to hit a ball off the wall at the newly opened Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
The shortstop helped lead the Flames to their first trip to the 2007 NAIA World Series. "Lance was a tremendous player for us and arguably one of the best Flames ever," remarked Lee head coach Mark Brew. "His professional playing career landed him in multiple organizations and was highlighted with a call up to the Major Leagues with the San Diego Padres on May 2, 2010."
Brew noted that Lance moved into the coaching world and quickly found success in the Red Sox organization as a hitting coach and later a hitting coordinator for the Red Sox minor league system. "It's no surprise to us at Lee that he has once again landed on the MLB stage as an assistant hitting coach for the Tigers.
"He is a tremendous teacher of the game and has great ability to connect with hitters through his experience as a professional athlete. He is a super person and I am excited for Lance and his family for this great opportunity," the Lee coach concluded.
Zawadzki will work directly with A.J. Hinch, who will begin his fourth season as manager of the Tigers. Hinch recently signed a contract extension with Detroit.
Drew French was Lee's pitching coach during the 2014 and 2015 seasons and was hired by Houston Astros as a minor league pitching coach in December of 2015. French worked in the Astros' organization from 2016-20, which included serving as Triple-A Round Rock's pitching coach in 2019. He also worked at the club's alternate training site during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
He has been in his role with the Braves (bullpen coach) since 2021, and they won a World Series Championship during his first year on the staff. "Drew was a tremendous pitching coach and pitching mind when he was on our staff," pointed out Coach Brew. "He always had great material and ability to teach our guys with information beyond the collegiate level.
"Drew has had a fast ascent through the MLB world from minor league pitching coach, to Braves bullpen coach, to now his position as the head pitching coach with the Baltimore Orioles. He has been a part of some great organizations with the Astros and Braves that have enjoyed great success in recent years and now he's joining an organization that's coming off a season winning 101 games. (He will replace Chris Holt as manger Brandon Hyde's pitching coach in 2024.) I am super excited for this huge opportunity for Drew and his wife Kate and wish them the best."
