Lake Erie hires longtime coach for 2020 season

Lake Erie College has reached into the record books to find a new skipper for its baseball team.

Gary Vaught has been named the interim head coach of the Storm. He comes out of retirement after a 24-year stint at the University of Indianapolis, where he guided the Greyhounds to 808 wins, two trips to the NCAA Division II World Series and a trio of GLVC tournament championships.

Vaught comes to Lake Erie College with a career record of 975-666-2, for a winning percentage of .594. His number of wins stands at No. 20 all-time in Division II history. Should the Storm reach 25 wins this season, he would become the 19th coach to hit the 1,000 victory milestone.

“I’m very excited for this opportunity to lead this group of young men. My main focus is on them and to make sure the program has a foundation going forward,” Vaught said. “There is a lot of talent on this team and they have potential to be something special.”

Following his retirement at the end of the season, Vaught has accepted the role of coaching the Hoptown Hoppers of the Ohio Valley League, a collegiate wooden bat league that plays during the summer. The team is filled with top talent from both Divisions I and II annually, and also features student-athletes from the G-MAC.

His first game in the interim role for the Storm will be on Saturday, Feb. 15, when the Storm travel to South Carolina to take on Augusta and Anderson in a double-header.

Vaught replaces former head coach Ray Skjold who recently took over the head coaching position at his alma mater Post University. A national search for a full time head coach will take place this spring.

“I am thrilled to reunite with Gary and have him lead Storm Baseball for the 2020 season. His proven success in our DII region, character and leadership will have a positive immediate impact on our program,” said Lake Erie Director of Athletics Kelley Kish said. “Also important to President Posler, Vice President Dunn and myself is how Gary’s hire allows us to conduct a full search later this spring to prioritize and continue building Storm Baseball as a quality program within the G-MAC and our region.”