Lance Rhodes is in his fourth season with the Redhawks coaching staff. Rhodes serves as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Southeast Missouri.
Since taking over the Redhawks pitching program prior to the 2013 season, Rhodes has trimmed the team ERA from 6.37 in 2012 to 4.60 in 2015; slicing over a run and a half off the average. The Redhawks’ 4.60 earned run clip and .261 opponent batting average were the best in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2015.
With Rhodes guiding the pitching staff, the Redhawks have garnered two OVC Pitchers of the Year. Joey Lucchesi was named the OVC Pitcher of the Year in 2015. Lucchesi finished the season with a 3.17 ERA, a 7-2 record, and 93 strikeouts; all of which were top in the OVC. Lucchesi’s 93 strikeouts ranked 58th nationally while his 6.14 hits allowed per nine innings ranked 23rd in the country.
Rhodes also mentored OVC Co-Pitcher of the Year Travis Hayes in 2014. Hayes appeared in 16 contests in his first season in a Redhawk uniform. He started nine games and compiled an 8-1 record and 3.22 ERA in 78.1 innings. He began the year in the bullpen before becoming a starter during the first OVC series of the season against Belmont. His eight victories were second in the OVC (56th nationally), his ERA ranked fourth, and he held opponents to a .237 batting average which was fifth in the league.
Alex Winkelman began the next level of his baseball career following the 2015 season when he was drafted in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Houston Astros. Winkelman was the 619th overall pick in draft and became the first pitcher drafted under Rhodes’ instruction. In three years at Southeast, Winkelman compiled a 14-9 record and 4.51 ERA in 50 appearances and 35 starts. He was credited with two saves and recorded 204 strikeouts in 229.2 innings in his career.
Rhodes, a former pitcher and volunteer assistant coach for the Redhawks returned to Southeast after serving as assistant coach for three seasons at Wabash Valley College in Illinois. He served as the pitching coach for the Warriors as they compiled 95 wins over a span of two seasons.
While at Wabash Valley College he helped lead the Warriors to back-to-back Great Rivers Athletic Conference regular-season titles. The Warriors also won their first conference tournament championship in 14 years in 2010.
In 2012, Wabash Valley recorded a record of 48-13 as they ranked as high as third in the NJCAA Division I polls, their highest national ranking in school history. His pitching staff recorded an impressive ERA of 2.78.
He was also the pitching coach for the Quincy Gems of the Prospect League in the summer of 2009. He led the Gems to a Western Division Championship that season.
During his time at Southeast, Rhodes assisted in fundraising events and assisted in scheduling. He also helped monitor student-athlete academic progress.
Rhodes graduated from Southeast Missouri in 2008 with a degree in general studies with an emphasis in physical education. He made 37 appearances for Southeast over two seasons with the Redhawks.
The Sikeston, Missouri native received his master’s degree in physical education from Emporia State University.
Rhodes and his wife Brittney reside in Cape Girardeau with their two sons, Max (2) and Cooper, who was born in July 2015.
