Lawrence Technological University

Stan Eldridge was hired by Lawrence Tech University on January 30th, 2015 to lead the Blue Devils program, as the university made the decision to bring collegiate baseball back to the Southfield campus after a 60+ year layoff. Eldridge now enters into his 9th season overall at the helm of the program, as the 2023 – 2024 season begins. Eldridge, now in his 25th year in the collegiate ranks, has previously coached at Spring Arbor University, Siena Heights University and at both Concordia University – Ann Arbor and Madonna University.

Eldridge also spent time coaching at the high school level earlier in his career. 
After just seven seasons of leading the Blue Devils on the field of play, including the shortened 2020 and 2021 seasons, Eldridge has watched his young, but highly talented and competitive, teams surprise many observers with their on-field abilities and their relentless effort at such an early stage in the development of the program. Eldridge and the Blue Devil program have already had:

• 4 Post Season appearances in the WHAC Tournament (no post season play for the conference in 2020)
• 6 selections to the WHAC All–Conference 1st Team
• 6 selections to the WHAC All–Conference 2nd Team
• 1 selection as the WHAC All–Conference Pitcher of the Year
• 1 selection to the Rawlings/ABCA National Gold Glove Team
• 4 selections to the WHAC All–Conference Gold Glove Team
• 7 selections to the WHAC Champions of Character Team
• 5 selections to the WHAC All–Conference Honorable Mention Team
• 1 selection as the NAIA National Pitcher of the Week
• 4 selections as the WHAC Conference Pitcher of the Week
• 6 selections as the WHAC Conference Player of the Week
• 68 selections to the WHAC All–Academic Team (not eligible in 2017 due to NAIA/WHAC rules)
• 30 selections to the NAIA National All-Scholar Athlete Team
• 1 selection to the NAIA All–Academic All–American Team
• 7 selections to the players COSIDA/NAIA Daktronics National All-Academic Team
• 14 NAIA & ABCA Team Awards for Academic Excellence

Truly a real success story after just 7 seasons of play, and this has established a great foundation for the program as it moves forward. In addition, Eldridge was named the 2017 WHAC Champions of Character Coach, as he was selected by his WHAC coaching colleagues.

In 2023, the Blue Devils once again qualified for post season play, after having recorded an historic offensive spring season. The Blue Devils ranked amongst the conference leaders with a program best .312 team batting average, along with setting new team records with 96 2B’s and 40 HR’s to go along with 323 RBI’s. The Blue Devils also got it done on the defensive side of the game as they led the conference with a mark of .965%.

The 2022 season was yet another success story for the program as the completed WHAC play with a 16-6 record which led the program to a 2nd place finish and the honor of serving as a host for a portion of the playoff season. The Blue Devils compiled an overall record of 27-20 against one of the tougher schedules in the country. During the course of the year, Blue Devils Pitcher Alek Wietrzykowski was named the NAIA National Pitcher of the Week along with also being named the WHAC Pitcher of the Year. In addition, Wietrzykowski along with teammates Nick Olsen and Ben Schmidt were named to the WHAC All-Conference 1st Team, while Jackson Walkowiak earned All-WHAC 2nd Team honors. As a team, the Blue Devils ranked among the Top 20 in the nation with 116 Stolen Bases while increasing their offensive production in every category, along with seeing their pitching staff become among the leaders in many WHAC and NAIA categories.

The 2020 and 2021 seasons saw the Blue Devil program battle through the national epidemic crisis as both season were cut short on multiple occasion. The on field highlight for the program was playing their 1st ever game inside the beautiful confines of Comerica Park, which resulted in a victory over NCAA D2 opponent Saginaw Valley State University. Despite all of the the interruptions, the Blue Devils were able to piece together a .500 record through the combined spring seasons, as well as maintaining their academic excellence with a combined GPA of over 3.35.

During the 2019 season, the Blue Devils established yet another program record for wins, as they amassed 34 wins along the way to a 3rd place finish in the conference. Included in that total was a victory over NCAA D2 opponent Saginaw Valley State University. As well, the team recorded the highest team batting average in program history at .299. Included in the season were additional new offensive records, including the theft of 100 bases. Eldridge also led the program to its 2nd WHAC Post Season Tournament action in just 3 years of play.

In 2018, Eldridge led the Blue Devils to 25 wins, which was at the time LTU Single Season Record, and it nearly doubled the win total from the inaugural 2017 season. Eldridge also led the program to its first ever WHAC Post Season Tournament action. As well, the program and Eldridge received national recognition and acclaim for their 8-3 win over Big 10 neighbor, and Power Five member, the University of Michigan, in a game played at Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. To date, research has shown this to be the first ever win for NAIA Baseball Team over a Power Five member east of the Mississippi.

Immediately prior to joining the Blue Devils, Eldridge spent just over a year at Siena Heights University working primarily with the hitters and the overall offensive direction of the Saints program. Prior to SHU, Eldridge spent a memorable 10 years at Spring Arbor University where he served as the Associate Head Baseball Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Cougars. Eldridge again worked primarily with the hitters and overall offense, while also assisting with the Cougars highly regarded, and productive, running game. On the defensive side, Eldridge worked with the infielders as a primary function, however he also spent time overseeing the development of the outfielders in the program. Eldridge took the lead in the oversight and coordination of the Cougar’s recruiting process, along with overseeing the annual SAU Coaches Clinic and the Top 96 Showcase event for high school players.

During his time at SAU, the Cougars hit at a combined .318 clip and fielded at a .960 mark, which included leading the NAIA nationally in fielding in 2007 at a .970 rate and finishing 3rd in 2011 with a .972 mark. Eldridge also developed infielders who went onto win three Conference Player of the Year awards, while one additional player went onto win a prestigious Rawlings-NAIA National Gold Glove Award. Eldridge also saw seven of his former players go on to play professionally, along with watching several others being named to All-Conference, All-Region and All-American teams, for both their play on the field and their work in the classroom.

The 2007 season saw the Cougars win an amazing 36 straight games, while the ’07 & ’08 teams won 48 and 40 game respectively while compiling an overall two-year record of 88-14, and leading the nation in winning percentage. During this time, Eldridge assisted in leading the program to the heights of NAIA Baseball with two trips to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. Those two trips to the World Series resulted in the 2007 team finishing as the National Runner-Up and the 2008 team taking home a 3rd place finish. In addition, Eldridge assisted in leading the program to appearances in three NCCAA National Championships, including a National Runner-Up finish in 2006. During his time at SAU, Eldridge assisted in leading the program to win almost 300 games overall. Eldridge is especially proud of the fact that many players he coached during his time at SAU have moved into the high school and collegiate coaching ranks.

During his tenure at Concordia University, Eldridge served as the Associate Head Coach for the Cardinals and was responsible for the offensive side of the game, where he developed and installed a more aggressive style of offensive attack that remains evident to this day. As well, Eldridge also had additional responsibilities for the defensive and pitching portions of the Cardinals program, while also serving as the Program’s Recruiting Coordinator.

Eldridge was instrumental in developing the recruiting philosophy and process during his tenure at Concordia University and as a result the program saw its roster size increase from 17 to 46 players in less than two years. During his tenure at Concordia University, the program broke almost every individual and team offensive record in the program’s history at that time. Several players under his tutelage were named to the WHAC All-Conference and Region 8 All-Region teams, with one player receiving NAIA Honorable Mention All-American accolades.

In addition, several players were named to the All-Academic team. As with his time at SAU, Eldridge also takes great pride in the fact that several players he worked with in the program moved into the coaching ranks at both the high school and collegiate levels at the conclusion of their playing careers.

While at Madonna University, Eldridge worked with the Crusader hitters and in all aspects of the offense. During his tenure, the Crusader offense combined to hit at a .312 average. In addition, Eldridge also worked with the outfielders within the program and assisted with the overall defensive play and philosophy of the team. As well, Eldridge was also fully involved in the recruiting and administrative process while with the Crusaders. During this time, several Crusader players were honored as All-Conference and All-Region picks, in addition to being named as All-Academic selections.

In addition to his work at the collegiate level, Eldridge has also been very successful coaching in the elite summer travel and summer collegiate leagues where he has earned high praise for his work and has been honored by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for his efforts.

Eldridge has also been acknowledged by the ABCA for having, thus far, led his teams to over 900 victories during his coaching tenure. As well, Eldridge was been the guiding force in building and developing two of the premier summer baseball programs in the Midwest, starting first with the Ypsilanti American Legion Post #282 program, which is still recognized as the youngest team to have ever earned a berth and appear at the AABC 18u World Series (3rd place finish) in New Mexico. However, more recently, Eldridge has been recognized as the architect of the highly acclaimed A. Green Baseball Program, which for many years was been regarded as one of the top summer programs in the country and served as the model program for others around the nation to emulate. Along the way, the program was ranked by Perfect Game USA as one of the top 18u programs in the nation. The 2008 club traveled to Florida and won the prestigious USSSA National Championship in the 18u division. To date, this specific program has seen over 65 players drafted by MLB clubs, with current New York Yankee infielder D.J. LeMahieu (2014, 2017 & 2018 Gold Glove winner, 2015 & 2017 N.L. All-Star and 2016 & 2020 MLB Batting Champion) and former New York Yankee infielder & Dallas Cowboy quarterback Drew Henson being amongst the program’s most visible alumni. Current MLB Players Eric Haase, Jake Cronenworth and Joey Weimer are also program alumni. Several additional players, mentored and coached by Eldridge, are currently working their way through their respective MLB organizations as they pursue their dream of playing at the highest professional level.

Through these, and other, programs, as noted earlier, Eldridge has assisted over 85 players get drafted into the professional ranks during the annual Major League Baseball Entry Level Draft, or through the Independent Leagues. Even more impressive is the fact that an incredible 98% of players, just over 500 in total, have moved on to continue their athletic and academic careers at the collegiate level with universities and colleges throughout the country, spanning all divisions. Eldridge has seen over 25 of his former summer league players move forward to play for him at the collegiate level. As noted, Eldridge currently has over two dozen of his former players now immersed in, or pursuing, a career in the coaching profession at the professional, collegiate and high school levels.

Eldridge added yet another program and title to his resume when he was named the Field Manager of the Battle Creek Bombers, who played in the highly acclaimed Northwood Summer Collegiate League. The NWSCL is consistently ranked by various baseball and professional publications as the #2 summer league in the nation for collegiate players to participate in during the summer months, trailing only the prestigious east coast based Cape Cod Collegiate League. During his tenure with the Bombers, Eldridge worked with players from throughout the country and from all levels of collegiate baseball, with several eventually receiving an opportunity to play professionally.

Along with his coaching duties, Eldridge has also taken on roles in other capacities within the game. For three seasons, Eldridge served as the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer for the Michigan Panthers, who were members of the NCAA & MLB sanctioned Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball League (GLSCBL). This venue also allowed for Eldridge to not only work further within the administrative side of the game, but it also allowed for him to work on the field with another large group of players who would also eventually be selected in the Major League Baseball Entry Level Draft.

Also, Eldridge also has previously served for just over 12 years as an Area and Associate Scout for several Major League Baseball teams; including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and most recently the Seattle Mariners, where he was also a part of the process that eventually led to a large group of high school and collegiate players being selected in the annual Major League Baseball Entry Level Draft. Eldridge was also blessed to have been able to attend and participate in minor league camps as a part of his duties.

In addition, Eldridge was also selected to serve as a General Manager for “The Series”, which was a new world-wide baseball event that brought the top players together on an annual basis for a series of combines and top level championship tournament play that was held throughout the United States. Eldridge has also served as a National Evaluator and an Area Director for Perfect Game USA in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Ontario, Canada. Also, Eldridge served for 7 years as the State of Michigan Site Director with the highly regarded Top 96 Baseball Coaches Clinics.

As well, Eldridge was a Co-Owner of All-Pro Sports USA, LLC, which was a training, tournament and showcase organizing entity that worked with additional organizations throughout the region and country. Eldridge has served as an Instructor and Clinician at various camps and clinics around the United States and in Canada for over 25 years and he continues to serve in that capacity at events throughout the nation. Eldridge has also served as a Guest Speaker on various topics at clinics and events throughout his career and continues to do so upon request.

Eldridge is a graduate of Concordia University – Ann Arbor where he earned his bachelor degree in Business Administration & Leadership, and he also holds a degree in Criminal Justice while also being a graduate of the Eastern Michigan University School of Staff & Command. Eldridge saw his playing career nearly come to an abrupt halt as he sustained an on-field injury that briefly curtailed his ability to play. Fortunately, Eldridge was able to resume his career and went onto play collegiately for two years before entering the coaching profession while also beginning a long & rewarding career in law enforcement, from which he is now retired. Stan is married and has two children.
 

YEAR	W	L	%	NOTES
2017	13	34	.277	Inaugural Rebirth Season following 60+ year hiatus
2018	25	23	.521	5th place Conference Finish & Post Season Playoff Berth
2019	34	16	.680	3rd place Conference Finish & Post Season Playoff Berth
2020	10	7	.588	(Shortened Season Due to Pandemic – Post Season Canceled)
2021	11	14	.440	(Shortened Season Due to Pandemic)
2022	27	20	.574	2nd place Conference Finish & Post Season Playoff Berth
2023	24	26	.480	5th place Conference Finish & Post Season Playoff Berth
TOTAL	144	140	.507