Lew Kent
Head Baseball Coach

THE Kent FILE

Profile:

Lew Kent is entering his 13th season as the Radford University skipper. Kent, recognized as the Dean of Highlander baseball, is the longest tenured coach in RU baseball history, as well as the all-time win leader at Radford.

In 12 seasons, Kent has tallied six 20-plus wins, including three seasons with 25 or more victories, while eclipsing the 30 win plateau once.

Kent has prevailed the Highlanders to marquee wins over teams such as North Carolina, North Carolina State, Duke, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, #13 nationally ranked Richmond and #6 nationally ranked South Carolina in his tenure.

The Tucson, Ariz. native is known as a players coach. He has a knack for developing baseball players both on and off the field, leading to successful teams. His 1995 Highlander squad was second in the league, finishing just one win away from an NCAA Regional berth. Kent guided RU to its best season ever, a 30-24 record, in his first year after taking over as head coach during the winter of 1994. RU set a school record with 60 home runs that spring and Kent's team quickly became known for its solid fundamentals and great hitting. Since he joined the program as a hitting coach in 1992, the Highlanders have been a fixture among the national offensive leaders.

As a players coach, Kent has produced players that have furthered their careers with Major League Baseball organizations. Ryan Speier became Kent's first major league professional in 2001 as a member of the Colorado Rockies. Recent alumno such as Mark Fleisher (Baltimore Orioles Org.) and Cory Kolisack (Seattle Mariners Org.) are both currently pursuing big league careers.

While 1995 was a notable year for Kent, in 2000 he directed RU to 28 victories, just two shy of the school record his team set in 1995. In addition, he kept RU in contention for the regular season Big South Conference title up until the last weekend of the season for a second consecutive year. For his efforts, Kent garnered Big South Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors, becoming only the second RU coach to garner this honor in the program's history.

Prior to coming to RU, Kent spent two years as an assistant at North Carolina State University under legendary head coach Ray Tanner. During his tenure at N.C. State, the Wolfpack posted a 96-40 record.

As a player, Kent played three seasons in the Cleveland Indians' organization. In 1988 his Kinston team captured the Carolina League Championship played under current major league manager Mike Hargrove. Kent advanced to AA, playing one season for the Williamsport Bills, before turning to coaching.

Before entering professional baseball, Kent played at Arizona State for two years, helping the Sun Devils to a third place finish in the 1983 College World Series. He even pinch hit for Barry Bonds that year in Omaha, and was seven-for-seven as a pinch-hitter. After transferring to Grand Canyon College, Kent was an all-area and all-district selection at catcher as well as team captain for a squad that won the 1986 NAIA World Series. Kent earned all-series honors for Grand Canyon.

He has been to five collegiate regional championships and two World Series. Kent received his bachelor’s degree in history from N.C. State and his master’s degree in education from Radford. He and his wife Treva reside in Radford with their daughter, Taylor and son Colton.