TCHS, Stillman Alumnus Joins Yankees Organization As Coach

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa native and Stillman College alumnus Grayson Crawford has been named the next pitching coach for the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees.

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The son of longtime Stillman College baseball coach Donny Crawford, he played catcher for three seasons for the Tigers before graduating in 2010 and beginning his coaching career as an assistant for his father.

Crawford, 33, is a graduate of Tuscaloosa County High School who would follow in his father's coaching footsteps, developing his craft from the high school level up through NCAA Division I.

He joins the New York Yankees organization following a two-year stint as the pitching coach at Lipscomb University in Nashville. Since 2015, Crawford served in assistant coaching roles at Austin Peay State University, University of Louisiana at Monroe and Murray State University.

Crawford will also be part of a historic coaching staff led by Tarpons manager Rachel Balkovec — the first woman in the history of affiliated baseball to be hired as a full-time manager.

The 2022 season will begin for the Tarpons on Friday, April 8 on the road against Lakeland Flying Tigers.

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