GALESBURG, Ill. ­— Knox College Baseball Head Coach Drake Sykes '17 announced the hiring of DeShawn Welch as his assistant coach for the upcoming 2026 season.

"I'm extremely grateful Drake called and told me he wanted me to be the guy to come in and handle the pitching staff. It was easy having already worked with him previously. We work well together and have the same drive for developing young athletes as well as building a solid culture. When I was on campus, the entire staff was extremely friendly and welcoming, and I couldn't be more excited to join this group at Knox College."

Welch spent nearly two years as a development coach with the Iowa Sticks, a club for budding players featuring modern-day training and development techniques from high school players all the way down to T-ball. He would lead up to 15 team practices per week for ages up to 18, focusing on both offensive and defensive skills. During the summer and fall seasons, Welch would coach travel teams between the ages of 12-18, competing in over 15 tournaments.

A 2022 graduate of Campbellsville University with a degree in kinesiology, Welch began his coaching career while still in college, working as a coach and assistant manager for Grit Performance 515. He gave lessons on proper warm-up techniques, focusing on the mechanical development while also teaching the fundamentals of the game.

In three seasons on the Campbellsville baseball team, Welch pitched in 25 games, all but one as a reliever, and compiled a 2-2 record and 4.78 ERA in 26.1 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .248 average. Following his graduation, he served as an assistant baseball coach at Carlisle High School (Iowa), working specifically with pitchers and corner infielders.

Welch, a native of Indianola, Iowa, will begin his role at Knox on Monday, Sept. 8.