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Lake Zurich Baseball
Varsity Coaches
Gary Simon
gary.simon@lz95.org
(847) 719-3659
Coach Gary Simon is entering his 9th season as Head Baseball and assistant varsity football coach for the LZ Bears. Coach Simon has posted four consecutive 20 win seasons, 2 Regional Championships and two consecutive Conference Championships.
Coach Simon was a 1969 NAIA All-American and Hall of Fame inductee in football for Western Illinois University’s Leathernecks. From 1973 through 1984 Simon was Head Baseball coach for Wauconda High School leading the Bulldogs to 4 Northwest Suburban Conference Championships, 2 Regional Titles, 1 Sectional Championship and Wauconda’s first ever State Elite 8 qualification in 1981.
After leaving education in 1984, Coach opened the first Grand Slam USA – baseball/ softball academy in the Midwest. It became clear after eleven years in the business world that teaching and coaching were truly missed. In 1995 Coach returned to Wauconda both teaching and coaching for a five year period.
Mr. Simon took the helm at LZ in 2000 and was the 4th Head Baseball Coach for LZ hired in four years. Coach Simon has posted 96 wins vs 39 losses over the last four seasons and coached the Bears to a berth in the summer State Elite 8 Tourney in 2008. Over the last eight seasons Lake Zurich’s field has been upgraded with new dugouts and new fencing making it one of the top parks in the Northern suburbs. Over 25 players have continued on to play collegiate baseball at all levels. From the 2008 baseball squad, five are playing at the next level.
Coach Simon and his wife Teri are 15-year residents of Lake Zurich with two sons, Tony and Brock, and daughter Kellen graduating from Lake Zurich High School.
Larry S. Lewis was an All-State Pitcher (Prospect HS, 1981) and was drafted by the New York Yankees. He played Minor League Baseball for (5) years and won a minor league championship in 1982. In the last (5) years as a pitching coach, Lewis managed a Junior Olympic team to 2nd place, Prospect HS to a MSL Championship and (2) regional championships, Oakton CC to the 2006 Skyway Championship and the 2007 Regional Championship. Lewis is also a professional pitching instructor at Drive Performance in Wheeling. Since 2003 he has helped student athletes’ move on to professional baseball as well as D-1, D-2 and D-3 college baseball. After professional baseball, he was a Transportation Manager for (15) years. He returned to baseball as a coach in 2003.
He is married to Christine and has a five year old daughter, Mariana.
Go Bears!!
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Last updated:
10/30/2009