Cleary Announces Drew Maki as Program's 2nd Ever Baseball Coach
(Howell, MI)-- Cleary Vice President of Student Affairs and Athletic Director Heather Bateman has announced that Andrew “Drew” Maki will be the next head coach to lead the Cougar baseball program. Maki will be the 2nd head coach in the program’s history. Maki spent the last 7 seasons as assistant coach, pitching coach, and recruiting coordinator for NCAA Division 1 Northern Illinois University, and was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Eastern Michigan University from 2009-2014, where he served as both a pitching and hitting coach.
“I’d like to thank Athletic Director Heather Bateman for the opportunity to lead the baseball program at Cleary University. As I got to know (her) through the process, it was obvious that this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I’d also like to thank VP of Institutional Advancement Matt Bennett, Assistant Athletic Directors Max Ballinger and Pat Finn, Sports Information Director David Victor, and Strength and Conditioning Coach Greg Barner for all their help through the hiring process. I am so grateful for the support of my wife, daughters, family, and friends for their help to get me to this point. Professionally, I’ve learned so much in collegiate baseball in the last 17 years from Jay Alexander (EMU and WSU) and Mike Kunigonis (NIU), who were instrumental in teaching me what it takes to be a collegiate head coach. Ritch Price (Kansas University Head Coach) and John Cheney (NIU Executive Associate Athletic Director) have been unselfish mentors in helping me to learn and grow.”
Cleary Athletic Director Heather Bateman says, “Coach Maki brings immediate credibility to our program with his experience as a NCAA D1 and D2 coach. His recruiting ties throughout the Midwest will help us to take the next steps in developing a championship team and program that we know will be representative of Cleary University’s core values. We strongly believe that under Coach Maki’s leadership, we will be able to compete for Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference championships, be a positively recognized program nationally, and be a leader in the Howell community.
We are very excited to welcome Coach Maki to the Cleary family.”
Maki continued, “The head coaching position at Cleary University is a tremendous opportunity. The facilities, the people in the athletic department, and the overall commitment, makes the position unbelievably attractive. Getting (closer to) home with the opportunity to compete in an excellent conference is extremely exciting as well. Our first task will be to find student athletes who are a great fit for Cleary. Once we do that, we can provide the necessary tools for on and off field development. I want to create a positive culture to thrive and build. Our expectation is to have our team meet the highest standards in the classroom, on the field, and in the community.
I’m excited to get to work!”
Maki is a native of Wyandotte, Michigan. He played collegiately at Henry Ford College before transferring to Grand Valley State University. He started his coaching career at Henry Ford College, where he was an assistant coach for one season in 2005. He then went to Wayne State University (NCAA D2) as an assistant coach from 2006-2008 before moving on to Eastern Michigan University (NCAA D1) from 2009-2014. Maki has coached 33 all-conference selections, with 6 of those selected as all-region. He has coached 21 Major League Baseball draft picks or free agent signees, and been a part of 31 victories against “Power 5” teams. He has coached 37 academic all-conference selections.
Coach Maki is married to Colleen (Lasecki) Maki and has two daughters, Natalie (3) and Elizabeth (1).
He is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a BS in Biology/Environmental Health and earned a Master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University in Sport Management.