Athletics

Keydet Baseball Announces Coaching Changes

Ray Noe and Aaron Lesiak

Ray Noe, VMI baseball assistant coach since fall 2019, has been promoted to recruiting coordinator, and Aaron Lesiak will serve as the Keydets’ pitching coach.—Photos courtesy VMI Keydets.

The VMI baseball team announced two coaching changes: The promotion of Ray Noe and the addition of Aaron Lesiak to the staff.

Noe, VMI baseball assistant coach since fall 2019, has been promoted to recruiting coordinator, while Lesiak will serve as the Keydets’ pitching coach.

“Ray is very deserving of this promotion to recruiting coordinator,” said Sam Roberts ’11, VMI head baseball coach. “He has an unbelievable work ethic and has done a tremendous job developing our hitters. Ray is also very gifted when it comes to recruiting. He’s a tremendous asset to our staff, and we are very fortunate to have him here at VMI.”

Noe was a coach at the IMG Baseball Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for one year prior to joining the Keydet staff. He served as the head varsity coach at Pickerington High School Central in Ohio from 2015–18, compiling a record of 52-32 overall and 26-17 in league play. Noe was the head varsity baseball coach in Bexley, Ohio, and worked with the Worthington and Carroll High School programs.

Noe graduated from Wittenberg University in May 2011 with a degree in early education/intervention specialist. He was a four-year starter on the Tigers baseball team, serving as the team captain as a junior and senior. As a senior, Noe earned first-team all-conference honors and second-team all-state accolades. He earned his master’s degree in sports coaching from Ohio State University in 2018.

Lesiak was the pitching coach last season at Limestone University in South Carolina. Prior to his stint at Limestone, he was an assistant at Davidson College, helping the outfielders and pitchers. Lesiak was the head coach of the Mooresville Spinners in 2021, directing the squad to a Southern Collegiate Baseball League championship and started his coaching career as an assistant at Anderson University from 2018–20.

“We are extremely excited to add Aaron Lesiak to our staff in the role of pitching coach,” said Roberts. “Aaron brings added value to our staff and program through his experience as a player, as well as coaching at multiple levels. His experiences, connections, and people skills will positively impact our program in multiple ways. We are very fortunate to have him joining us at VMI where his impact will be felt immediately.”

Before starting his coaching career, Lesiak enjoyed a solid playing career as a two-sport athlete at Presbyterian College on both the football and baseball teams. On the diamond, he made 63 career appearances on the mound for the Blue Hose with 19 career starts. He then transferred to The Citadel as a graduate student in 2017, where he finished up his playing career with the Bulldogs.

Lesiak graduated cum laude from Presbyterian in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a minor in biology before earning a Master of Arts degree in sport management from The Citadel in 2017.

Editor’s Note: This article was first published on vmikeydets.com.