Former Major Leaguer Matt Diaz to Join Viking Baseball Coaching Staff
Lakeland Christian School
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Lakeland Christian School
One of the core values of LCS is the belief that we are partnering with parents in the Christian education of their children. We believe that mutual respect, communication and involvement by all partners is essential for success of our mission.LCS is a school. We believe that being a Christian school and being a top-flight academic institution should not be mutually exclusive. On the contrary, we take the mandate of Colossians 3:23 that calls us to strive to be the best. We provide a variety of rigorous, engaging, academic and co-curricular activities that enable students to identify and express the full range of their unique gifts and abilities.
Lakeland Christian School is pleased to announce that former Major League Baseball outfielder Matt Diaz has joined the Viking varsity baseball coaching staff. Matt brings a wealth of baseball knowledge and experience to the LCS program from his success as a player at the highest level of college and professional baseball. Matt will also serve as a mentor to the student-athletes at Lakeland Christian as he shares in his life experiences as a Christian.
After serving as a two-year starter at Florida State University and leading the Seminoles to two College World Series appearances, Matt began his professional baseball career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization in 1999. Matt played for five teams in 11 seasons in the big leagues. Matt played for Tampa, Kansas City, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Miami.
Upon his retirement from professional baseball in 2014, Matt joined the Atlanta Braves pre-game and postgame telecast on Fox Sports South as a contributing commentator. He currently serves as a baseball analyst for MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM in addition to his day-to-day work as an Investment Advisor Representative at Core Wealth Advisors in Lakeland.
“I have been offered multiple coaching positions over the past four years, and I finally felt like the time was right to give back by coaching young men,” Matt said. “My kids go to Lakeland Christian School, and we feel at home there. I can’t imagine coaching anywhere else.”
Watch Matt Diaz hit a two-run homer for the Atlanta Braves in 2012: