FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU baseball associate head coach David Grewe has resigned to pursue other career opportunities, head coach Paul Mainieri announced Tuesday.
Grewe, 35, has served as the Tigers’ recruiting coordinator and pitching coach for the past three seasons.
“David has decided to take his career in a new direction, and we wish him the best in all of his future endeavors,” Mainieri said. “We’re very grateful to David for the contributions he made to our program, including being a part of a national championship, a conference championship and two league tournament titles.”
Mainieri said he has already begun a search for Grewe’s successor in an effort to fill the position in a timely manner.
“I have immediately started the process to identify the best pitching coach in the country and bring him to LSU,” Mainieri said. “We will have a coach who can best develop the outstanding pitchers that are returning to the team along with a very talented of group of recruits that will join the program in August.”
Grewe, the head coach at Michigan State from 2006-08, helped lead the Tigers to the 2009 College World Series title, the 2009 SEC championship and SEC Tournament crowns in 2009 and 2010.
“For my personal development, I want to explore the possibilities to expand my role as a college baseball coach and professional,” Grewe said. “Unfortunately, the timing of this desire does not match the timing for the LSU Baseball program and its immediate needs. Therefore, I have made a decision based on these timing issues and my personal desires as well as the “unknown” of the next several months to make Joe Alleva and Paul Mainieri aware of the fact that I will not be returning following the end of my 2011 contract.
“I want to make sure Coach Mainieri has the right people in place to move the program forward and did not want to cause challenges for the program with a mid-summer departure. This decision was solely mine as I went to (athletic director) Joe Alleva, (senior associate athletic director) Herb Vincent and Paul Mainieri on May 12 and asked for their support in my decision and future goals. I want the very best for the LSU program and at the same time, I am very confident that my future will be full of new successes that will be rewarding for me and my family.”
Prior to accepting the head coaching job at Michigan State, he served as an assistant coach under Mainieri at Notre Dame, and he also worked at Central Michigan and the University of Chicago.
Grewe, a Royal Oak, Mich. Native, graduated from Dayton in 1998 as a sports management major, with a double minor in marketing and public relations. While coaching at Central Michigan, he served as a graduate teaching assistant while studying towards a master’s degree in athletic administration.
“I have had the opportunity to coach alongside Paul Mainieri for six years now, and preceding that, led my own program for three years,” Grewe said. “At this time, I know in my heart that it is in my best interest to continue to grow as a professional and I’m ready and excited to do so. I feel extremely proud of the impact I’ve had on the LSU Baseball program over the last three years, especially my contributions with 2009 National Championship team and coaching three All-American pitchers that year. I know that my contributions off the field, specifically, bringing in the #1 ranked recruiting class in 2010 and securing commitments for the LSU program for the 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes will enable future success that will last LSU baseball for the next four years.
“This talent will enable Coach Mainieri to win future championships for all the LSU faithful to be very proud. As I have communicated to Coach Mainieri, in my heart I would love to be able to play out this summer because I believe in this program, the players, and their future, but again, I feel very strong in my desire to expand my role and build my future. For LSU the timing is now and the hardest part of seeking new opportunities is the fact that I will be leaving what I believe to be the best pitching staff in the country in 2012, great players that I have recruited, and the greatest fans a team can have. I truly appreciate all the support of the LSU faithful and wish LSU Baseball all the best in the future.”
