Dave Lawn joined the Arizona baseball program as an assistant coach on July 9, 2015. He was retained by newly-hired head coach Chip Hale on July 5, 2021 and promoted to the role of associate head coach on July 14. He returns for his eighth season with the Wildcats in 2023.
Lawn no stranger to the Pac-12 Conference. After beginning his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Nevada in 1988, Lawn went on to spend 10 seasons at California (1991-2000) and seven at USC (2001-07). He boasts a total of 33 years of collegiate coaching experience.
Under Lawn’s guidance, 23 players have gone on to play Major League Baseball, including Mark Prior, the 2001 Golden Spikes Award winner from USC. Lawn’s teams have four times earned trips to the College World Series, four times played in the NCAA Super Regionals and nine times earned NCAA Regional berths. Additionally, his clubs have won three Pac-12 Championships, one Big West title and one Mountain West regular season championship.
With the Wildcats
Across his first four seasons as the Wildcats pitching coach, Lawn helped produce three All-Conference pitchers in Nathan Bannister (2016), Bobby Dalbec (2016), and JC Cloney (2017). During that same stretch the Cats had two different pitchers earn Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors a total of three times and one All-American pitcher.
Arizona has posted a record of 247-139 (.640) with Lawn on staff and advanced to the College World Series twice, with the program's 2016 CWS run coming largely on the back of a spectacular pitching staff performance. The 2016 Cats established a new school record with 18 saves, logged the sixth-most strikeouts in a single season in program history, and posted a stellar 3.18 ERA, the lowest mark at Arizona since 1974.
From 2016-20, the Wildcats had 11 pitchers selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, five of which went within the first 10 rounds.
Prior to the 2020 season, Lawn shifted responsibilities to become the Wildcats defensive coordinator, and worked extensively with Arizona's catchers and first basemen. In 2020, Cats primary catcher Austin Wells posted an impressive 3.51 catcher ERA, down from his mark of 6.53 the season prior. Wells also notched a 1.000 fielding percentage and allowed just one passed ball during the shortened season.
Lawn again steered the development of one of the best young catchers in the nation in 2021, guiding true freshman Daniel Susac to National Co-Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors. Susac posted a .996 fielding percentage as the Wildcats every day catcher and threw out 9-of-30 attempted base stealers. He also was instrumental in the development and positioning of Arizona's infield defense that turned 41 double plays and produced three Pac-12 All-Conference selections.
Coach Lawn returned to his role guiding the Wildcats pitchers in 2022 and helped Quinn Flanagan and Garrett Irvin earn All-Pac-12 honors, with the former garnering First Team honors as a reliever. Bullpen arms Holden Christian and Trevor Long both earned NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List recognition in 2022, while Dawson Netz picked up the first Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors of his career.
Before Arizona
In two seasons at Nevada, Lawn helped guide the Wolf Pack to a 72-42 record. In 2015, Nevada posted a 41-15 record and captured the school’s first-ever Mountain West title with a 22-6 mark in league play. The Wolf Pack was ranked in the top 25 for much of the season and totaled a 13-1 record in series of at least three games. The 41 overall wins ranked second in program history.
Under his tutelage, Nevada pitchers claimed numerous high-profile awards in 2015, as Trenton Brooks was named Mountain West Tony Gwynn Player of the Year, Christian Stolo was named the MW Pitcher of the Year, while Cal Stevenson was named MW Co-Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on Louisville Slugger’s freshman All-America team.
In Lawn’s first season as Nevada's full-time pitching coach, the Wolf Pack posted a 31-win season with a 17-6 record at home and a third place finish in the Mountain West Tournament. Nevada went on six three-game win streaks in 2014, including claiming consecutive victories over San Jose State, Fresno State and New Mexico at the MW Tournament. Five members of the team earned all-conference accolades.
Prior to his return to Nevada, Lawn spent seven seasons at Southern California, serving as the Trojans’ pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He coached two Pac-12 Pitchers of the Year in Prior and Ian Kennedy (Drafted by Yankees in 2006). USC reached the 2001 College World Series, advanced to three Super Regionals and won the Pac-12 championship in 2001 and 2002 during Lawn’s tenure. In 2001, USC pitcher Rik Currier set the Pac-12 record for career strikeouts, which would later be broken by Tim Lincecum.
Before arriving in Southern California, Lawn spent 10 years in the Bay Area, serving as California’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for five seasons before being promoted to associate head coach for the remaining five years. In Lawn's first season with Cal in 1991, the Golden Bears went 37-27 after posting just 18 wins the year prior. The following year, Lawn helped take Cal to the College World Series. One of Lawn's Cal pitchers - LHP Nate Brown - led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings in 1993. In 1994, Cal's Bobby Kahlon was named Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year under Lawn's guidance. Lawn also helped bring a pair of top 30 recruiting classes to Cal, including freshman All-American Xavier Nady, a first round MLB draft pick.
Lawn served as the Director of Athletics at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. He also spent four seasons as the head baseball coach at Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif., from 2007-11, where 12 of his players earned Division I scholarships.
Lawn received his Bachelor's degree in political science from San Francisco State in 1987 and pitched one year at UC Santa Barbara before suffering a career-ending arm injury. He was the team captain of the 1986 team at UCSB that won the Pacific Coast Athletic Association championship. He was also drafted twice professionally in 1984 by the Minnesota Twins in the second round and by the Texas Rangers in the third round of the secondary draft.
Dave and his wife Stacey have three children; Mackenzie, Michael, and Matthew.
Dave Lawn Coaching History
- 2022-current: Arizona Associate Head Coach
- 2015-21: Arizona Assistant Coach
- 2013-15: Nevada Assistant Coach
- 2007-11: Servite High School Head Coach
- 2001-07: USC Assistant Coach
- 1991-2000: California Pitching Coach/Associate Head Coach
- 1988: Nevada Graduate Assistant
Dave Lawn Coaching Highlights
- 25 seasons as an assistant coach at the Division I level, including 23 seasons in the Pac-10/12
- Nine NCAA Regional appearances, four NCAA Super Regionals, and four College World Series berths
- Coached 23 players who have gone on to play in Major League Baseball
- Developed Mark Prior, the 2001 Golden Spikes Award winner from USC
- Worked with three Pac-10/12 Pitchers of the Year: Mark Prior in 2001, Ian Kennedy in 2006, and Bobby Kahlon in 1994
- Helped coach his teams to three Pac-12 championships, one Big West championship, and one Mountain West regular season championship
