STILLWATER — Marty Lees has returned to the Oklahoma State coaching staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for head coach Josh Holliday’s program.
He replaces James Vilade — the man who replaced Lees when he left OSU to become the Washington State head coach in 2015. Vilade left OSU after the season.
Lees served on the Cowboys’ coaching staff from 2013-15. He was let go as the Cougars’ head coach earlier this summer.
“We’re excited to welcome Marty and his family back to Stillwater,” Holliday said in a news release. “Marty’s passion for development and a championship background is outstanding. Our players, both current and future, will benefit from his love for the game and his excitement to be back at Oklahoma State.
“Marty’s expertise in developing outstanding infielders is well documented; he also excels in team offensive concepts and has been recognized for years as an elite recruiter. He was an instrumental part of Coach (Pat) Casey’s staff at Oregon State as they built one of the premier programs in all of college baseball, and he had an immediate impact here at Oklahoma State when we arrived in 2012.
During Lees’ first stint in Stillwater, OSU made NCAA Regional appearances all three years. In 2014, the Cowboys won the program’s first Big 12 Conference regular season championship and advanced to an NCAA Super Regional.
During his previous tenure with the Cowboys, Lees helped OSU sign back-to-back recruiting classes in 2013 and 2014 that ranked in the top five nationally. As the primary coach for infielders, he instructed 13 Cowboy infielders who earned All-Big 12 honors, and OSU’s fielding percentage improved each season, peaking at .975 in 2015.
“It’s an honor to be back coaching baseball at Oklahoma State,” Lees said. “I want to thank (OSU Director of Athletics) Mike Holder and Josh Holliday for their belief in me and my family to help continue the success of Cowboy baseball. The investment that the school, donors and alumni have made in the new stadium is second to none, and we will be able to train players at an elite level. I am anxious to get back to work with Josh and Rob (Walton), two of the best people and baseball coaches I know.”
After leaving Stillwater and taking over the program at Washington State, Lees coached eight All-Pac-12 honorees and 13 players who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, and he guided the 2018 Cougars to the second-best fielding percentage in school history (.977).
Lees’ collegiate coaching career began and blossomed at Oregon State, where he spent 11 seasons on the Beavers’ staff under head coach Pat Casey, including serving as the associate head coach from 2009-12.
During his time in Corvallis, Lees helped coach the Beavers to three straight College World Series berths from 2005-07, and Oregon State won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007.
Lees coached more than 30 All-Pac-10/12 performers and 10 All-Americans while at Oregon State, and while working as the Beavers’ defensive coach for infielders and catchers, they twice set school records in fielding percentage. During Lees’ six seasons as recruiting coordinator, each of Oregon State’s recruiting classes was ranked in the top 25 nationally.
“Congratulations to coach Holliday and the Oklahoma State baseball program on the return of coach Lees,” Casey said “Coach Lees played a major role in the recruiting class that ended up in the 2016 College World Series, and I’m certain he will have an immediate impact on the program again. Marty has always been a top-notch infield instructor and will no doubt have the Cowboys ranked among the nation’s best in fielding percentage.
“Marty’s long-time commitment to the game is a terrific match for the Cowboy baseball program and the rich history of success. I want to wish Marty, Kristy and the Lees family the very best on their return to Stillwater.”
A native of Lakeview, Ore., Lees earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Western Oregon in 1994. He and his wife, Kristy, have three sons, Brandon, Brady and Jake.