Coach Spiro Lempesis

Spiro Lempesis begins his tenth season as head coach of the Concordia Cougar baseball team.

Lempesis came to Concordia in 2000 with the intentions of making the Cougars into one of the top Division III programs in the Midwest, and his first nine years have put the team well on their way to achieving that lofty goal. He has produced seven seasons of 20 or more wins, including 27 and 32-win seasons the last two springs, the latter of which established a new Concordia single-season record. Under his guidance, the Cougars have won a regular-season title in 2003, a conference tournament title in 2006 and have made four more appearances in the championship round of the conference tournament (2001, 2005, 2007, 2008). Lempesis has produced a conference Player of the Year in starting pitcher Jim Paduch (a 12th round draft choice of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2003 Major League Baseball draft), a 2007 first-team All-Midwest Region player in third baseman Jack Walker, and a 2008 NAC Player of the Year and third-team All-American in catcher/first baseman J.D. Rotzoll. Lempesis, a former conference Coach of the Year (2001), became Concordia's all-time coaching leader in wins during 2006 with his 126th career victory (April 8 versus Benedictine). His current record stands at 196-167-3 entering the 2009 season.

Over the years, Lempesis has put an emphasis on "players that have the commitment and discipline to do whatever it takes to put themselves above their competition." Lempesis notes that the key to the formula is that "our kids have their hearts and minds in the right place; they are serious about school and baseball, in that order. They know how to focus and establish their priorities. The other important element is that once they achieve some success, they gain confidence because they're seeing the results of their hard work, and they're inspired to keep at it; it's a case of success building upon success."

Lempesis' history is one of connections with the Chicagoland baseball scene, going back to his pre-Concordia days as coordinator for a summer collegiate baseball program for the Norridge Park District. The Norridge program was a magnet for many of the local players (including some of the Concordia players) during the summer months, and one of them encouraged Lempesis to look into the vacant position at Concordia when it opened up in the summer of 1999. Ten years later, Lempesis' close association with the local scene continues, and a look at the Cougars' 2008 roster bears out that fact; nearly 80 percent of the team comes from roughly an hour's drive (or less) from Concordia's campus. "Visibility is very important to our recruiting efforts," states Lempesis. "We have so many excellent high school programs in the area, and we have seen some of our best players in the last eight years come from nearby. They have been excellent ambassadors for our program and, as we continue to build on our reputation, we hope it reinforces our message that Concordia is a university that is near to home and able to offer a quality education and quality baseball experience."

In the spring of 2008, Lempesis added to his resume by accepting a coaching position with the Rockford Riverhawks of the Frontier League. His responsibilities included working with the baserunners, pitchers and outfielders, and coaching at first base during games. He described the opportunity as "a great experience, one I hope to continue doing. It was a pleasure working with their coaching staff in an independent professional league setting."

Lempesis earned his B.A. in secondary education in 1988 from Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota where he also lettered in baseball and hockey. He and his wife Tonya reside in Montgomery with their two daughters - Amber Mae, 4 1/2 and Sarah Ann, 1.

Contact Information:
E-Mail - Spiro.Lempesis@CUChicago.edu
708-209-3125 (Office)
708-209-3154 (Fax)