University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Alec Crawford Promoted to Pitching Coach
6/15/2024 10:45:00 AM | Baseball
Crawford has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach
"I'm excited to promote Alec Crawford to pitching coach. During his coaching tenure, he has displayed tremendous qualities as a recruiter, coach and mentor to our student-athletes," said McDevitt. "Alec is skilled in multiple areas of player development, including but certainly not limited to: motor preferences, human movement, pitch development, strength training and nutrition. As a proud alumni, Alec personifies passion for Gopher Baseball and I'm excited for us to continue to work together to develop nationally competitive pitching staffs every year."
Crawford joined the staff in the fall of 2022 as the Interim Director of Pitching Development and finished his first season with the Gophers in 2023. He was hired on as a full-time assistant for the 2024 season, working with McDevitt and the pitching staff.
In his first year on staff, Crawford helped the 'U' pitching staff earn its best ERA since the 2019 season despite having a roster that ranked as the youngest in the Big Ten at just 19.9 years of age. He helped develop sophomore southpaw Tucker Novotny into a Third Team All-Big Ten selection, the Gophers first pitcher to earn all-league honors in four years.
Minnesota left-handers Noah Rooney (3-0, 3.29 ERA) and Connor Wietgrefe (2-3, 3.83 ERA) took a big jump under Crawford in 2023. They combined for 84 strikeouts and just 33 earned runs allowed in 83.0 innings pitched to lead the bullpen. Wietgrefe also ranked in the top-10 of the Big Ten with his five saves and .209 opponent batting average. Both Wietgrefe (May 15, 2023) and right-handed starter George Klassen (March 20, 2023) won Big Ten Pitcher of the Week awards in Crawford's first year.
In his second season on staff, Crawford once again helped the Minnesota pitching staff to its lowest ERA since 2019, which ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten. The Gophers also struck out 48 more batters in 2024 than 2023 despite pitching 43.1 less innings. As a staff, the Gophers led the league with the fewest home runs (35) and earned runs allowed (243), and ranked second in runs allowed (295), third in K/9 (9.5) and fourth in strikeouts (444). Crawford had two starting pitchers rank in the top 10 in the conference in K/9, including Novotny at No. 4 and Will Semb at No. 7.
In 2024, Crawford helped transition Wietgrefe from a reliever to one of the Big Ten's premier starting pitchers. Wietgrefe finished the season tied for first in the Big Ten in wins (8), second in ERA (2.77) and FIP (2.88), third in WAR (1.53) and sixth in strikeouts (74). He became the first Gopher since 2019 to be named First Team All-Big Ten and the first starting pitcher to earn the distinction since 2018.
I am thrilled and honored to continue to be an integral part of Gopher Baseball, a program rich in history and success," said Crawford. "I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Head Coach Ty McDevitt for this incredible opportunity. Together we will continue the longstanding tradition of Gopher Baseball greatness, striving for excellence both on and off the field."
Prior to Minnesota, Crawford was an owner of Northstar Baseball Club, where he ran the well-known Complete Pitchers Program. The program gave pitchers an in-depth look at combining the complexities of the pitching delivery in terms of biomechanical movement patterns as well as proprioceptive (feel) training with both flat ground and mound work.
Crawford played for two years in the Colorado Rockies organization before having a brief stint with the St. Paul Saints and then signing a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.
A 2014 MLB Draft pick of the Rockies, Crawford pitched for two years (2013-14) at the University of Minnesota. He was an All-Big Ten Third Team selection and named the Gophers' David Winfield Pitcher of the Year in his senior season. He tied for the team lead and ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 67 strikeouts. He tossed 97.1 innings and held a 3.79 ERA with a 4-2 record in 15 starts.
As a junior, he pitched in a total of 10 games, including nine starts, going 4-2 with a 2.28 ERA, which ranked third on the team. He pitched a total of 51.1 innings (fourth on the team). He was 3-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 39.2 Big Ten innings and held opponents to a 2.57 ERA in his last six starts.
Originally from Wilton, Iowa, Crawford played baseball, basketball, football and golf at Wilton High School, where he was all-state and all-elite in baseball, and second team all-state in basketball. He's the son of Ken and Dawn Crawford and also has a brother, Cole.
He currently resides in Corcoran, Minn., with his wife, Kim, and sons, Crew and Cooper.