SAN ANTONIO — UTSA Athletics is mourning the loss of former head baseball coach Mickey Lashley, who passed away on June 13 at the age of 70.
Named the second head coach in UTSA baseball history on June 7, 1995, Lashley accumulated 113 wins, including 57 conference victories, during his five years (1996-2000) at the helm. In his first season, he guided the 1996 squad to a 26-win campaign, including 17 Southland Conference victories.
Lashley saw his players collect 10 all-conference certificates during his time as head coach. Johnny Johnston, Jeff Juarez, Steve Minus, Marc Perez and Ryan Smith all earned first-team All-Southland Conference honors, while Kent Wallis garnered ABCA All-Region accolades in 1998 under his tutelage. Several players coached by Lashley went on to professional careers, including UTSA’s first-ever MLB first-round draft pick in Mark Schramek, who was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in 2002.
Lashley helped start the UTSA baseball program from scratch, as he was hired as assistant coach in August of 1991 by the first head coach, Jimmy Shankle. He served as an assistant for the first four years of the program’s existence, helping lead the Roadrunners to the 1994 Southland Conference Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA postseason in just their third season of play. UTSA posted a 39-18 overall record that spring, defeating Sam Houston (3-2), McNeese State (10-5) and Northwestern State (7-6) in the Southland Tournament to advance to the NCAA Austin Regional. The Roadrunners dropped an 11-8 decision to 19th-ranked Nevada in their first NCAA postseason contest before their season came to an end with a 10-5 setback to Arkansas State.
Born on May 31, 1954, in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Lashley grew up in Bartlesville, where he was an all-state performer in baseball and basketball in high school. Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 1972 MLB Draft, he instead decided to attend Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship from 1973 to 1976. He helped the Sooners win three consecutive Big Eight Conference Championships and a spot in the College World Series. He posted a 25-4 record, 2.23 ERA and 193 strikeouts during his career, including an 8-1 mark, 0.93 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 1974 en route to All-America and all-conference honors. Following his collegiate playing days, he was picked by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth round and spent several seasons in the minor leagues.
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