Blake Lewis ready to lead Gadsden State Community College back to powerhouse days

Blake Lewis remembers playing against Gadsden State Community College in baseball.

Lewis, who attended Bevill State Community College from 2001-03, said he always held the Gadsden-area in high regards every time he made the trip to play them.

When the local college announced it was bringing back baseball, softball and cross country but also looking for an athletic director, Lewis knew he was the man for the job.

Lewis was hired as the athletic director and baseball coach in May and officially took over the role June 1.

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"I have always been drawn to Gadsden State," Lewis said. "I remember back when I was playing against Gadsden and even coaching against Gadsden, baseball was always really fun in the area. I loved the setup and loved where it was at. I really felt it could be a very special place.

"When they decided to bring athletics back, it certainly perked my ears pretty quickly and I wanted to jump on that."

Gadsden State has had men's and women's basketball, along with volleyball and tennis teams.

Gadsden State will bring back cross country in 2022, while baseball and softball programs will be added in 2023.

Baseball at the college was disbanded in 2011, while softball ended in 2016 and cross country in 2009.

The Cardinals were ACCC state champions in baseball in 1981 and 1985 and runner-up in 1982 and 1987. Softball won state championships in 1988 and 1989, along with runner-up finishes in 1986, 1990, 1993, 1998 and 1999. The 1989 team finished third at the NJCAA Tournament.

"I just remembered how good they were," Lewis said. "It's a good area, it's a good part of the state that people lost when athletics went away."

Lewis was named an All-Conference Player by the Alabama Community College Conference during his time at Bevill.

He graduated from the University of Montevallo in 2006 and from the University of West Alabama in 2018, where he also served as a graduate assistant and helped the team earn a Gulf South Conference East Division title.

In 2009, Lewis was hired as an assistant baseball coach at Lawson State and later that year was named the head coach, a position he held until 2012.

Lewis then accepted the position of assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Montevallo in 2012 before returning to a second stint as the head baseball coach at Lawson State.

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This will be his first role as an AD.

"I've kind of helped out in some smaller roles, but not officially as the head athletic director, " he said. "I've done some assisting but this is the main gig."

Lewis said he has been out and about in the community to introduce himself, as well as getting to know the community. Part of the job has been letting locals know baseball and softball are back.

"People still recognize the Gadsden State baseball brand and really just the Gadsden State brand in general," Lewis said. "So that that part is exciting. It's not as an uphill battle, as in some other places, maybe. I don't know if there's anybody more excited about that opportunity than I am."

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Softball will utilize one of the fields constructed by the City of Gadsden in the Gadsden Sports Park, while baseball will play on the field at the Gadsden Sports Complex located on Meighan Boulevard until its field can be rebuilt at the Sports Park.

One of the priorities for Lewis will be upgrading the basketball and volleyball facilities.

"We've had some conversations about just upgrading some things that just need to be upgraded that just over time," he said. We just can't let it slip away. But the gym we have now, it's it's a good gym. The crowd is on top of the players, which is makes it a fun game day environment."

He said the program is in the early stages in hiring a softball coach.

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"I think as an athletic director, the fun part about this job is just being able to help more people," Lewis said. "I'm able to kind of coach coaches in that role, where as a baseball coach, you're just coaching the players, so I can get the best of both worlds.

"And just trying to be able to help the coach to develop their own programs and move those forward in a positive direction and and I'll be able to interact and and get to know all the athletes, outside of just the ones that are on the baseball roster."

Contact Ehsan Kassim at 256-300-5313 or ekassim@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden State athletics director Blake Lewis ready to lead program