Chris LaMange, who build a hall of fame resume as a baseball coach at East Grand Rapids High School, has left to take over as coach at Aquinas College.
LaMange, a member of the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association (MHSBCA) Hall of Fame, succeeds Doug Greenslate, who led the Saints for 18 seasons.
LaMange is a 1994 alumnus and former player at Aquinas. After graduating, he took over the East Grand Rapids varsity program in 1996 and, over 24 years, led the Pioneers to 554 victories and the 2009 Division 2 state championship.
LaMange was named the Division 2 State Coach of the Year. His 1999 team advanced to the state semifinals. He also won six regional championships, seven district titles and seven conference crowns.
LaMange, with an overall record of 554-307, was inducted into the MHSBCA in 2015. He coached the MHSBCA East-West All-Star Game in 2012. He also served as varsity assistant boys basketball coach from 1993 to 1999, helping the Pioneers finish as state runner-up in three consecutive seasons (1994-96). In 2000 and 2001, he was the head junior varsity basketball coach at EGR.
The Saints' baseball program has a steady past. From 1972 to 2019, there have been only two coaches - Terry Bocian (30 seasons, 1,079 victories) and Greenslate (18 years, 452 wins).
The announcement Thursday included a statement from LaMange:
"I want to thank the following people for helping me get to this point of my coaching career.
"(Aquinas AD) Nick Davidson and the hiring committee for giving me the opportunity to accomplish a longtime goal of mine and return to Aquinas 25 years after graduation. It is truly an honor to be only the third person in my lifetime to be the head baseball coach at AQ.
"Bo (Bocian) and Greenie (Greenslate): the lessons I learned from my coaches during my time as a player at AQ, the advice and guidance they have given me during my coaching career, and the lifelong friendships I have developed with both of them are very special to me. Now to follow in their footsteps and step into the position these two men have held for the last 48 years is very humbling.
"Scott Tompkins: mentor, friend, colleague – one of the best coaches I have ever witnessed, but an even better man. He has had a huge influence on my success not only as a coach, but in all areas of my life.
"My wife Amy, who has made personal sacrifices throughout our marriage to allow me to work towards accomplishing goals I have set involving coaching and officiating. I am so fortunate to have her loyal support and could not ask for a better mother for our three children - Eliana, JT, and Vivian.
"My dad Larry, who was my first coach and then my assistant coach over the last 22 seasons – and my mom Betsy, who has always been my biggest fan.
All of my assistant coaches over the years, but especially Steve Wojciechowski, Tim Sullivan, and Alex Luke: the years we have spent together have been full of laughter, smiles, and fun – to be surrounded by these three men who are so passionate about teaching and coaching the great game of baseball has been an unbelievably awesome experience.
"The players I have had the privilege to coach at East Grand Rapids: East kids are special, and I loved every minute of my time as the varsity baseball coach at East.
The administration at East, especially Jerry Fouch and Tim Johnston. Their efforts and their support of their coaches allowed me to focus on what I love to do – teach and coach.
"I am very excited to attack this new challenge as the leader of the Aquinas College baseball program. I am a very proud AQ baseball alum, and am so fortunate to be in a position to represent the hundreds of AQ baseball alumni who have built the foundation for this program.
“My goal is to make all the alumni proud of the effort, the intensity, and the passion we will bring to the field every day our players put on the AQ uniform. It is a great day to be a Saint.”