Alec Crawford - Baseball Coach - University of Minnesota Athletics

Photo by: Brad Rempel

Alec Crawford

Title:
Pitching Coach
Email:
crawf340@umn.edu

Alec Crawford joined the Gopher baseball staff in the fall of 2022 as Director of Pitching Development and was promoted to Pitching Coach in June 2024 under head coach Ty McDevitt. Since arriving in Minneapolis, Crawford has helped elevate the Gopher pitching staff into one of the Big Ten’s top units while developing four MLB Draft selections.

Under Crawford’s guidance, George Klassen was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies after overcoming a freshman-year elbow injury and returning to reach 100 mph. In 2024, left-handers Connor Wietgrefe and Tucker Novotny were drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics, respectively, while Seth Clausen was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 2025 MLB Draft. Wietgrefe earned First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 after transitioning from the bullpen to the starting rotation, finishing second in the conference with a 2.77 ERA and tying for the league lead with eight wins.

In Crawford’s first season on staff, Minnesota posted its lowest team ERA since 2019 despite fielding the youngest roster in the Big Ten. He helped develop Novotny into the program’s first All-Big Ten pitcher in four seasons while guiding Wietgrefe and Klassen to Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors. In 2024, the Gophers again recorded their best ERA since 2019, ranking third in the Big Ten while leading the conference in fewest home runs and earned runs allowed. Minnesota also ranked among the league leaders in strikeouts, K/9, and runs allowed, with Novotny and Will Semb both finishing top-10 in the conference in strikeouts per nine innings.

In his first season as pitching coach with the Maroon and Gold, Crawford guided the Gopher arms to a 5.75 team ERA, tallying 399 total strikeouts over 453.2 total innings of work on their way to a 24-28 overall record.

Over the 2026 season, Crawford and the Gophers tallied their lowest ERA since 2019 and finished fourth in the Big Ten conference with a 4.46 team ERA. With 460 total strikeouts over 453.2 innings of work, Crawford helped guide weekend starter Isaac Morton to All-Big Ten Second Team Honors.

Prior to Minnesota, Crawford owned Northstar Baseball Club and served as pitching coach at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School from 2020-22. Following the canceled 2020 season, he helped lead the Red Knights to a 41-11 record over two seasons, producing two all-state pitchers and one Minnesota Mr. Baseball winner. In 2022, Benilde-St. Margaret’s captured a section and state championship while posting a league-best 2.29 team ERA.

Crawford played professionally in the Colorado Rockies organization and later signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018 after a brief stint with the St. Paul Saints. A 2014 MLB Draft selection, Crawford pitched two seasons at the University of Minnesota, earning Third Team All-Big Ten honors and the program’s David Winfield Pitcher of the Year award as a senior. Before Minnesota, he starred at Des Moines Area Community College, where he was named the 2012 ICCAC Pitcher and Player of the Year, earned First Team All-America honors, and helped lead the program to two NJCAA World Series appearances.

A native of Wilton, Crawford was a multi-sport standout in baseball, basketball, football, and golf at Wilton High School. He currently resides in Corcoran with his wife, Kim, and sons, Crew and Cooper.