Lew Kent

Lewis Guy Kent

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• School Grand Canyon College, Arizona State University, North Carolina State University

• Born December 7, 1963 in Chula Vista, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Lew Kent played in the minor leagues from 1986 to 1988, then became a college coach.

Amateur Playing Career

In 1983 and 1984, Kent was a member of the Arizona State University Sun Devils team. While there, he was a teammate of Barry Bonds. Lew is one of Bonds' many former teammates quoted in Jeff Pearlman's book Love Me, Hate Me discussing Barry's selfish play and conceited attitude during that stage of his career. The Sun Devils had a third-place finish at the 1983 College World Series. During one of the games, Kent was sent in to pinch hit for Bonds. For the season, he was 7 for 7 as a pinch hitter.

In 1983, Kent also played in the Alaska Baseball League for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. In eight games, he had a .391 OBP with a double and two RBI.

In 1985 and 1986, Kent played for Grand Canyon College. In 1986, his team won the NAIA College World Series. During that season, Lew was the team captain, and he earned all-area and all-district honors. He was also named to the all-series team at the NAIA College World Series.

Minor League Career

Kent was chosen in the 36th round of the 1986 Amateur Draft (813th overall) by the Cleveland Indians.

After being signed by Cleveland scout Eddie Bane, Kent was assigned to the Batavia Trojans in the New York-Penn League. He got into 45 games and put up a .199 batting average with 8 home runs and 21 RBI. He had an OBP around .266 and slugged .390; he was second on the team in homers behind Kerry Richardson.

Kent spent 1987 and some of 1988 with the Kinston Indians in the Carolina League where he played catcher for the most part, but he also saw some time at first base. In 1987, Lew added 8 more home runs (4th on the club) to his minor league total along with 35 RBI in 81 games. He batted .229/~.328/.376. 1988 saw him hitting .195/.276/.254 in 49 games for the league champion KTribe with 13 RBI.

For parts of 1988, Kent played for the Williamsport Bills in the Eastern League. While there, he hit .234/.308/.447 with 3 home runs and 8 RBI in 16 games.

As a catcher, Kent had a career .965 fielding percentage in 110 games. He had a .971 fielding percentage as a first baseman in 24 career games.

Post-Playing Career

Collegiate Coaching Career

From 1991 to 1993, Kent was an assistant coach at North Carolina State University. Future major league players on those teams included Andy Barkett and Jeff Pierce. While coaching at the school, Kent also earned a BS in history as a student.

In 1993, Kent became a hitting coach at Radford University and remained in that position until 1995. In 1995, he became the head coach through the 2007 season. In 13 seasons as the head coach, Kent compiled 239 wins which is a school record. He reached the 20-win plateau seven times including a 30 win season in 1995. For that campaign, he was named the Big South Conference Co-Coach of the Year. Former Radford players under coach Kent include Phil Leftwich and Ryan Speier. While at the school, Kent earned a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction as a student.

During his tenure at Radford, Kent ran summer baseball camps for children aged 7-13.

Middle School Teacher and Coach

After leaving Radford, Kent applied for the head coache's job at the University of South Carolina Beaufort but was beat out for the position by former major leaguer Rick Sofield. For the 2007-2008 school year, Kent taught physical education at the same school where his wife Treva teaches, Hilton Head Preparatory School on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He also served as a coach on the B-team football squad and was on the coaching staff of the baseball team.

High School Athletics Director

In the summer of 2008, Kent became the athletics director for Hilton Head Island High School.

Family

Lew Kent is married to Treva, a fifth-grade teacher at Hilton Head Preparatory School on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. They have two children, a daughter named Taylor and a son named Colton.

Sources and Further Reading

• "Radford's Kent Decides To Leave", The Roanoke Times, April 25, 2007. [1]
• Ray Cox: "Ex-Radford Baseball Coach: Money At Issue: Lew Kent Compares His Budget To Peers And Finds Shortcomings", The Roanoke Times, April 26, 2007. [2]
• Sam McDowell: "Kent Selected As Hilton Head High's New Athletics Director", The Island Packet, May 29, 2008. [3]
• Sam McDowell: "Kent's First Days As Seahawks' AD Will Be Busy Ones", The Island Packet, July 2, 2008. [4]

Related Sites

• Highlanders Profile
• Hilton Head Prep Bio