7/27/06

New Lake Michigan College Baseball Coach is Former Local Standout

BENTON TOWNSHIP, MI - Lake Michigan College Athletic Director Doug Schaffer has announced that former St. Joseph High School and University of Notre Dame baseball standout Eric Danapilis has been hired as the new LMC baseball coach.

Danapilis brings extensive experience to LMC, coaching at Florida Southern College, in the Alaska Amateur Baseball League and the Central Florida Summer League, as well as at the high school level in Florida.

"We are very fortunate to have someone like Eric return to our community and represent Lake Michigan College. He's been very successful at every level, but most importantly, Eric is a quality person," stated Schaffer. "Eric's outstanding career as a student-athlete at Notre Dame provides an excellent example for our baseball players to follow."

During his playing career, Danapilis was a member of the Notre Dame men's baseball team from 1989 to 1993 where he earned All-American and Midwest Collegiate Conference Player of the Year honors and was named to the Midwest Collegiate Conference All-Conference and All-Tournament teams. He was also a member of the U.S. Pan-Am Team in 1991 and holds several individual season and career records at Notre Dame.

After Notre Dame, Danapilis went on to Detroit Tigers minor league system where he played from 1993 to 1997. There he achieved numerous batting and home run titles.

Danapilis holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a master's degree in Education from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ.