Barrett Serrato, a decorated collegiate player at Purdue University and former draft pick of the Texas Rangers, was named the new assistant coach for the Lee baseball program.
Head coach Mark Brew has announced the addition of Barrett Serrato as the new assistant coach for the Lee baseball team beginning this season.
Serrato previously served the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Kent State University. While on staff he was in charge of hitting and the infielders while assisting with the outfielders and base running. The Golden Flashes were the Mid-America Conference (MAC) Champions in 2016 and 2017 while winning the East Division in all three seasons he was there.
Serrato was drafted by the Miami Marlins in June 2008 out of high school but decided to play collegiately at Purdue University.
Serrato experienced a decorated playing career with the Boilermakers from 2009-2012. He was named to the All-Regional Team and All-Big Ten Tournament team in 2012. He was an All-Big Ten player in 2011 and 2012 while also achieving success in the classroom as an Academic All-Big Ten selection.
After graduating from Purdue with a degree in Physical Education he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2012 and played three seasons in the Minor Leagues with the Spokane Indians (Low A) of the Northwest League and the Frisco Roughriders (AA) of the Texas League.
"We are excited to welcome Coach Serrato to our Lee University family. He is a rising star in the coaching ranks and he has quickly gained a reputation as an excellent hitting coach and infield instructor while at Kent State," remarked Brew. "His passion for growth, ability to teach the game, and past experiences at the highest levels of baseball have prepared him for this opportunity. He has excellent communication skills, is an excellent evaluator of talent, and possesses an extremely high level of energy which will serve him well leading our recruiting efforts. More importantly, he is a person of high character and integrity and he will be an excellent fit into the culture of our program and university. I'm excited to see the continued growth of our program with Coach Serrato as a part of it."
Serrato will be making the move with his finance Karlie. The couple is set to get married on Saturday back in Ohio.
"I'm really excited for this opportunity and grateful to Coach Brew for giving me the chance to be here at Lee," said Serrato. "There is such a great baseball tradition here at Lee and my goals are to keep that tradition going strong while helping to develop players so they can grow and achieve their goals on and off the diamond."
Serrato replaces former assistant coach Justin Dedman who served on coach Brew's staff the last seven years. Dedman left to join the Miami Redhawks (Ohio) as an assistant coach.
"Coach Dedman served our program for seven years and did an excellent job. He was a relentless and tireless worker and had one of the highest levels of passion for growth and improvement in any coach I have ever worked with," noted Brew. "We will miss Coach Dedman and his family, but this is a great opportunity for them and we wish him the best at Miami."
Dedman reflected on his time with the Flames saying, "The seven years we spent at Lee were the best of my personal and professional life, and I am forever indebted to Coach Brew for his mentoring and friendship, and to each of the players that gave me the opportunity to assist in their development."