Athletics - Lewis-Clark State

Baseball Coaches

Head Coach Ed Cheff

Year	Wins	Losses	Winning Percentage	Ties
1977	48	13	78.69%	0
1978	51	11	82.26%	0
1979	38	15	71.70%	0
1980	48	12	80.00%	0
1981	40	14	74.07%	0
1982	55	15	78.57%	0
1983	69	7	90.79%	0
1984	51	13	79.69%	0
1985	51	20	71.83%	0
1986	55	11	83.33%	0
1987	55	10	84.62%	0
1988	45	20	69.23%	0
1989	41	24	63.08%	0
1990	52	14	78.79%	0
1991	48	7	87.27%	0
1992	55	10	84.62%	0
1993	47	16	74.60%	0
1994	51	17	75.00%	1
1995	57	16	78.08%	0
1996	53	11	82.81%	0
1997	46	10	82.14%	1
1998	40	16	71.43%	0
1999	57	14	80.03%	0
2000	59	12	83.10%	0
2001	54	14	79.41%	0
2002	41	16	71.92%	0
2003	48	13	78.69%	0
2004	52	10	83.87 %	0
2005	47	9	83.92%	0
2006	47	8	85.45%	0
2007	58	5	92.06%	0
2008	58	7	89.23%	0
2009	40	15	72.7%	0
TOTALS	1,657	425	79.5%	2
Bold = Won Championship

Coach Ed Cheff enters his 34th 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 16 national titles in the past 26 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 six in the new millennium, including three straight during 2006-08. The Warriors’ overall win-loss record under Cheff, entering the 2010 season, is a remarkable 1,657 wins and 425 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. 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 eight times and often addresses clinics outside of the Lewis-Clark Valley. He has addressed the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) on six occasions and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1994 and the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2006.

In 2009, Cheff was named the winner of the ABCA's 2009 Lefty Gomez Award for his lifetime contributions to amateur baseball.

Cheff also coached Team USA in 1994 as its hitting and third base coach at the World Championships.

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.

His win total is the most accumulated by any coach at the NAIA level and is fourth overall on the all-division list, trailing only University of St. Francis coach Gordie Gillespie (1,816) Texas coach Augie Garrido (1,718) and Wichita State coach Gene Stephenson (1,683).

Ed and his wife Karen have three sons - Trevor, Tyler and Toby.

Coach Cheff's stats at the NAIA World Series

Appearances: 27 (1978-80, 82-92, 95-96, 99-09)
Note: Warriors also appeared in 1976 under coach Ramon Hooker (not included in stat above)

Overall Record: 114-31 (.786, best % by any team with more than 5 games)
Note: the Warriors went 3-2 under Hooker in 1976 (not included in stat above)

Championships: 16 (1984, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 96, 99, 00, 02, 03, 06, 07, 08)

Finishes: 1st: 16 2nd: 5 3rd: 3 4th: 1

Other Cheff Facts:

Coach of the Year Titles: 8 (1983, 87, 91,92, 96, 99, 02)

Inducted into NAIA Hall of Fame in 1994

Inducted into America Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006

Coached on the 1991 and 1994 USA National Team staff and 1994 World Championship staff

Gus Knickrehm – Assistant coach

Gus Knickrehm enters his fourth year as the pitching coach after serving in various other assistant coach capacities throughout his 13-year coaching career at LCSC. Besides coaching, Knickrehm also had a successful career as a pitcher at LCSC. During his senior year, he was a pitcher on the 1987 national championship team, which went undefeated in the Series. During that 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 10 national titles.

Roberto Saenz – Assistant coach

Roberto is in his third year as a Warrior assistant coach. He spent last summer as an assistant coach with the Wenatchee Apple Sox and will spend the summer of 2010 in the Cape Cod League with the Chatham Anglers. He spent the summers of 2007 and 08 as defensive and hitting coach for the Green Bay Bullfrogs of the Northwoods League. Also in 2007, he was a graduate assistant at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Penn. Roberto spent two years starting in the outfield at Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, Calif., and graduated from there in 2002. He then started two seasons at the University of St. Mary, an NAIA school in Leavenworth, Kan., and graduated in 2005 with a degree in Business Administration. He earned a Master’s in Business Administration in 2007 from Seton Hill.

Allen Balmer – Assistant Coach

A former Avista NAIA World Series MVP and a Lewiston native, Allen Balmer is entering his second season as an assistant coach at Lewis-Clark State College. He will work primarily with position players and will be instrumental in both infielder and hitter instruction. Balmer played four seasons with the Warriors during 2002-06 and enjoyed much success. He started all four seasons at third base and helped the Warriors capture two national titles, including the championship in the 50th annual Avista NAIA World Series at Lewiston during his senior year in 2006. He earned the tournament’s MVP award after smacking 12 hits, scoring six runs, and driving in seven during a five-game stretch. Overall at LCSC, Allen recorded 245 hits, established a batting average of .341, and averaged less than 12 errors a season. During his senior year, he hit .377 with a team-leading seven home runs during the regular season. Balmer is a second generation Warrior baseball player as well. His father, Gary, who also works at LCSC, was a standout for the Warriors in the early 1980s. Balmer and his wife, former LCSC volleyball player Marie (Lauder) Balmer, have two children, Brody and Avery Marie.

Isaac Simmons – Assistant Coach

After spending a few seasons playing for the Warriors, Isaac Simmons is in his second season as a coach. Originally from Santa Maria, Calif. and Cabrillo High School, Simmons joined the Warriors in 2005 as a freshman infielder. In 2007, Simmons played in 29 games for the Warriors and hit .367. As a coach, Simmons will spend most of his time working with middle infielders although he will also assist Coach Saenz with the outfielders. Simmons graduated with a degree in Sports Administration and Coaching in 2009 at LCSC.

Brad Schwarzenbach – Assistant coach

Brad Schwarzenbach begins his first season as a Warrior assistant coach after finishing his playing career in 2009. Schwarzenbach will help Gus Knickrehm with the pitching staff and other duties. Schwarzenbach is a former pitcher himself and had an outstanding junior season at LCSC in 2007. He posted a 7-0 record with a 2.54 earned run average with one save. He was fifth on the team in innings pitched with 56.2 and held opponents to just a .235 average. He struck out 60 and walked 13. He then underwent Tommy John surgery on his arm and missed the 2008 season. He tried to pitch in 2009, but was limited in his comeback because of the injury. He made three appearances and struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced. He did not allow a hit or a walk, although he hit two batters. Brad is originally from La Mirada, Calif., and spent two seasons at a pitcher and catcher at Cerritos Junior College before he transferred to LCSC. Brad, who was selected three times in the Major League draft, is majoring in Kinesiology at LCSC and is scheduled to graduate this spring.

Bruce Madsen – strength and conditioning coach
A certified strength and conditioning specialist, Bruce Madsen has served as the strength and conditioning coach for the LCSC baseball team since 2001 and has made a tremendous impact on the performance of Warrior baseball players. Madsen also founded and runs High Tech Sports Therapy Associates Inc., a sports medicine consulting business that includes such clients as Boeing, Intel, and Nike.

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