After 16 years at the helm of the Air Force baseball program, Head Coach Mike “Kaz” Kazlausky is retiring from the baseball diamond. Coach Kaz is staying close by in the athletics department as the Director of Leadership and Institutional Strategy.
A Legacy of Leadership
As the winningest coach in program history, Coach Kaz helped the program capture their first Mountain West title in 2024 and a first trip to the NCAA Regionals in 2022. However, the memories he takes with him aren’t from the baseball diamond. “A lot of them were not on the baseball field,” he said. “It was the one on one meetings, the sit downs, the tears that were being shared, and to tell them they’re going to be okay.”
Those are the most meaningful because it was never about winning or losing. “But the men that we have created to go once again serve and fight for us, that’s been the most rewarding thing.” Coach Kaz shared a moment that stuck with him. After they lost in the NCAA Regionals to Texas, during their handshake line, the 8,000 strong were chanting ‘USA, USA, USA’. Coach Kaz said that “even though we lost, we won.”
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
