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Marty Lees has been named the new head baseball coach at WSU, the athletic department announced today. Lees is the 15th coach in WSU history and only the 7th since 1927. He takes over for Donnie Marbut, who was fired last week after 11 seasons.
Lees comes from Oklahoma State University were he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He also spent 11 years at Oregon State where he helped to build the powerhouse Beaver programs in the mid-2000's.
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"I'm honored and privileged to be the next head baseball coach at Washington State University," said Lees, who was part of 128 victories in his three seasons with Oklahoma State, via athletic department news release. "This is a dream come true. Washington State is a great institution with a strong community and a place I feel I can work with quality people and raise my family.
"It is important to me to be at a place that can win championships," Lees continued. "I believe that we can do that here at Washington State."
Lees is very well thought of around the country; in 2013, Lees was listed as number 6 in a list of the nation's top 10 assistant coaches, per Baseball America. Before leaving Oregon State for Oklahoma State, he was considered to be the coach-in-waiting to Pat Casey at the west coast powerhouse that won two national championships while Lees was there.
"Marty brings a proven championship mentality to Cougar baseball," said WSU director of athletics Bill Moos. "He played a significant role in building successful programs at both Oregon State and Oklahoma State with whom we share many similarities. I am tremendously impressed with his reputation as a tireless worker especially in recruiting. His solid reputation along with his down home upbringing and family values make him the perfect fit."
After a mediocre season in 2015 with a young roster, many felt the Cougars were on the way to better things. Marty Lees could be the man to help the young talent they already have and build on it in the future.
Lees has a lot of ties to the Northwest. He is a native of Lakeview, Ore and attended Western Oregon University. He joined the Oregon State coaching staff in 2002 as a volunteer assistant and went on to be named associate head coach in 2010. At Oregon State Lees focused mainly on the infield. His infielders twice set the school record for best fielding percentage. He was also the recruiting coordinator in Corvallis during a time that the Beavers brought in 30 all-conference players.