Keith Evans enters his 15th year as head baseball coach at Lebanon Valley College in 2018.
Evans and the Dutchmen reached the 20-win mark in 2017 and earned a postseason berth for the first time since 2014. Evans guided five players to the All-MAC Commonwealth Team, including Zac Edwards, who became LVC baseball's first-ever Academic All-American, as well as a member of the All-ECAC Second Team, D3baseball.com's Mid-Atlantic Second Team, and an Academic All-District pick.
In the 2016 season, LVC fell just short of a MAC Commonwealth Playoff berth, but six players landed on the MAC Commonwealth All-Conference squad. Marshall Kiessling earned first team honors, while Zac Edwards and Michael Puglisi landed on the second team and Colin Albright, Brett Fundell, and Greg Orlando received Honorable Mention.
The 2015 season saw Evans record his 200th career win. Under his leadership, outfielder Phill Dohner '15 was named to the MAC Commonwealth All-Conference First-Team, shortstop Zach Smith was a second-team all-conference pick, and pitcher Casey Wall earned a MAC Commonwealth All-Conference Honorable Mention nod. Wall was named the league's pitcher of the week in early April and first baseman Brett Fundell twice earned MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week honors.
In 2014, Evans guided a young Dutchmen team to the Commonwealth Conference tournament for the third straight season. The squad featured six all-Commonwealth Conference selections, including all-region catcher Jordan Higgins '14, as Evans melded a solid core of returning veterans with a promising incoming class to produce a postseason berth.
In 2013, Evans coached the program's first-ever Commonwealth Conference and d3baseball.com regional Rookie of the Year, Dylan Tamecki, as well as three other all-CC underclassmen on a young 2013 squad. In 2012, his team reached the Commonwealth Conference tournament after posting a 24-16 overall record through the regular season. It was the fifth time in program history that the Dutchmen broke 20 wins and the first time since 2009 that the team appeared in the tournament.
In 2009, Evans molded a young team into a contender as LVC finished second in the standings during the regular season to clinch a playoff berth. Evans had LVC contending up to the final day of the season behind a potent offense that scored nearly seven runs a game. He also won his 100th game in the process.
Evans was named the Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year in 2007 after guiding his team to its best season in five years. The Dutchmen finished 21-18 and finished first in the Commonwealth with a 14-7 conference record. Evans' club earned a victory in the Commonwealth playoffs and came within one win of reaching the championship round. His high-powered offense led the Commonwealth Conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and runs scored.
In 2006, Evans led the Flying Dutchmen to their first Commonwealth Conference playoff berth in four years. Lebanon Valley finished 11-10 (14-24 overall) in Commonwealth Conference play to capture the fourth and final playoff spot.
Evans' 2005 squad came within one victory of reaching the 20-win mark, finishing 19-16 and 9-12 in the Commonwealth, good for a sixth-place finish in the conference standings. In his first year as head coach, Evans led the Valley to a 15-20 record. The Dutchmen finished 10-11 in the Commonwealth Conference that season and were in contention for a conference playoff berth up until the final day of the year. Evans’ 2004 team also made its mark as one of the top offensive teams in the Commonwealth, leading the conference in batting average, slugging, doubles, triples, and home runs.
No stranger at the Valley, Evans served as an assistant baseball coach at LVC from 1992-98. In addition to his duties as baseball coach, Evans, a native of nearby Myerstown, Pa. and a graduate of ELCO High School, is LVC’s athletic field supervisor, a position he has held for the last 16 years. His efforts have helped the Valley receive numerous field of the year awards and the SportsTurf Managers Association named LVC’s McGill Baseball Park as its 2000 College Baseball Field of the Year.
Evans’ involvement on the diamond as both an umpire and player is extensive. During the summer, Evans serves as an umpire for both the Lebanon County Legion and the Quad-County Twilight League.
Evans is a 1990 graduate of California University (Pa.). He resides in Myerstown.
