Former Astro Lance Berkman named HBU baseball head coach
HOUSTON (BVM) — After finishing with an overall record of 14-38, the Houston Baptist Huskies decided to hire a new head coach. That head coach ended up being former Houston Astro legend Lance Berkman.
“We really do think with this hire we have elevated not just the baseball program, but the whole athletic department,” HBU Director of Athletic Steve Moniaci said in a press release. “Certainly, we have always had what was known around town as a pretty good baseball team, but we want to get beyond that. We want to establish a program that is known regionally and then nationally. With Lance’s help and some others, we think are going to come along shortly, we think we can get there, but it all starts with the person who is in charge of that program and the person who is going to be in charge of our baseball program for a long, long time – I hope – is Lance Berkman.”
Berkman played 15 MLB seasons, most notably with the Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is a World Series champion, National League Comeback Player of the Year and was named to the All-Star team six times. Berkman is also a career .293 hitter.
Congrats to #Astros legend Lance Berkman on being named head coach of the Houston Baptist University baseball program!#ForTheH pic.twitter.com/bCJMerqYiR
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 1, 2021
Berkman retired from MLB in 2013, but for some time, he knew that he wanted to be coaching the game he loved playing.
“I want to say thank you to Steve and Dr. Sloan for the opportunity,” Berkman said in the press release. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, even before I retired from playing baseball. I knew that I wanted to coach and, for me, there’s no better level than Division I college baseball. It’s really the last highest level where guys play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back. When you get in front of kids at this time of their life, you can really influence them for the good, which is a big part of the reason I wanted to be in coaching. This is kind of a dream come true for me and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity … HBU is a great place. It’s an underrated and underappreciated university. It’s a place where they combine faith and education, which are critically important to the development of young men.”
Since his retirement, Berkman has been the head coach at Second Baptist High School. The school captured a state championship in 2016.
Berkman is taking over for former coach Jared Moon who led the Huskies to three conference championships and an NCAA Regional appearance in 2015. Moon also finished his career as the all-time leader in wins 401 in 16 seasons.
It’s sure to be an exciting time for the Huskies and the future of their baseball program.