Head Coach Ed Cheff

Coach Ed Cheff enters his 31^st season at Lewis-Clark State College. He has built one of the most impressive collegiate athletic teams in the nation at any level, as the Warriors have won 14 national titles in the past 23 years.

From 1982 to 1992 the Warriors played in 11 consecutive National Championship Games and won eight—a feat unequalled by a collegiate team at any level in any sport. Five of these titles were earned in the 1980’s, five more in the 1990’s, and four in the new millennium. The Warriors’ overall win-loss record under Cheff, entering the 2007 season, is a remarkable 1,501 wins and 398 losses.

More than 100 of Cheff’s former Warrior players have gone on to play professional baseball and several have played in the major leagues, including three current players in "The Show." His teams at Lewis-Clark State College have been consistently recognized by peers and professional scouts as being well-prepared and aggressive.

Cheff has not only built successful collegiate baseball teams but has also worked to instill a sense of pride and work ethic in each Warrior that has come through his program. Warrior Baseball is valued by the local community for its dedication to active involvement with local events, fundraisers, and volunteer programs. The impact of the program is noteworthy both on and off the field.

Coach Cheff has been named NAIA Coach of the Year seven times and often addresses clinics outside of the Lewis-Clark Valley. He has addressed the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) on five different occasions and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1994.

Away from Lewis-Clark State College’s Harris Field Cheff has coached the Alaska League’s Anchorage Bucs and Fairbanks Gold Panners.  Cheff also coached Team USA in 1994 as its hitting and third base coach.

On May 11, 1996, Cheff captured his 1,000th career victory with a doubleheader sweep over Central Washington, becoming only the third coach in NAIA baseball history to win 1,000 games. He became only the fourth coach at any level to win 1,500 games during the 2006 NAIA World Series.

Assistant Coaches
 

Gus Knickrehm – Assistant coach Gus Knickrehm finds himself in a new position on the staff this year as he’s taking over as pitching coach from Gary Picone, who is now the college’s athletic director. Knickrehm has had a successful career at LCSC, both as a player and as an assistant coach. He played at LCSC for two seasons as a pitcher. During his senior year, he was a pitcher on the 1987 national championship team, which went undefeated in the Series. During his senior season, Knickrehm averaged one strikeout per inning pitched. After his playing career, Knickrehm joined the Warrior coaching staff for six seasons, working with the pitchers. He then left to work for a local business, but rejoined the Warrior staff in 2003. In all, Knickrehm has been a part of seven national titles.  Mike Madrid – Assistant coach Madrid played at Lewis-Clark State during 2001and 2002 seasons and was the team’s Golden Glove winner in 2002 while playing first base. He also was an NAIA All-American selection that year. Madrid helped the Warriors to their 12th national title that season. Madrid signed a free-agent contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates and in 2003 he helped a Pirates’ minor league team capture the New York Penn League championship and made the All-Star team. From 2004 to 2006, he played for an independent team in the Frontier League, the River City Rascals, and compiled three-year totals of 47 home runs, 215 RBI, and a .305 batting average.  In his third year as an assistant coach, Madrid will work hitters and first basemen.  Aaron Mills – Assistant coach Mills played at LCSC during the 2003-05 seasons, but injuries slowed what was expected to be a stellar pitching career. He attended Lane Community College for two seasons and went 12-4 with a 1.30 ERA. After redshirting in 2003 because of elbow surgery, the left-hander played at LCSC in 2004 and posted a 5-0 record with a 3.79 ERA. He struck out 32 batters in 35.2 innings. In 2005, he made one appearance in February, but only lasted two innings before arm trouble sidelined him the rest of the season.      Bruce Madsen – strength and conditioning coach   Bruce is a certified strength and conditioning coach who has made a tremendous impact on the performance of Warrior baseball players during the past few years.