Casey Dykes, former VMI baseball assistant coach, will represent the Keydets in the dugout, serving as the New York Yankees assistant hitting coach.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
Baseball fans across the world will see a familiar face to VMI baseball in this year’s Fall Classic. Casey Dykes will represent the Keydets in the dugout, serving as the New York Yankees assistant hitting coach.
Dykes, a former VMI baseball assistant coach, works day in and day out with the players in the cages, game planning, and everything hitting. Dykes can be seen inside the Yankees’ dugout wearing the classic pinstripes and working with top players and former MVPs like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. In October, a dream became a reality for Dykes, as the Yankees faced the National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
Dykes started his coaching career at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, as a graduate assistant before moving to Lexington for his first full-time coaching gig as VMI’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2015–18 under Jonathan Hadra ’04, former head coach, a connection that grew during his days at WKU.
After his four-season stint with the Keydets, Dykes took a job as an assistant with the 2019 Big Ten Champion Indiana Hoosiers. From there, Dykes answered the phone from the New York Yankees, as they asked him to become their next minor league coach. It was not something Dykes had on his mind at the time, but after speaking with his family, he could not pass up the opportunity.
After accepting the job with the Yankees’ organization, Dykes moved up the farm system where, in 2021, he would get the call up to the majors, earning a role as a hitting coach for one of America’s most coveted sports franchises.
Before the big leagues, VMI was Dykes’ temporary home, where he helped the Keydets earn four straight 20-win seasons and coach a plethora of talent, including six MLB draftees. Even after his departure, he still believes there is a true reason to come to VMI and pursue a collegiate baseball career.
One year before Dykes began his VMI journey, Reed Garrett ’15 tossed the Keydets’ latest no-hitter. Garrett, who was drafted in 2014, has made a name for himself this season with the New York Mets. Garrett went on to pitch in this year’s NLCS and was inches away from facing Dykes in the World Series. In his outing against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, Garrett became the first VMI athlete to appear in a postseason baseball game.
The Dodgers and Yankees began a seven-game series Oct. 25 to crown a new world champion. Dykes was prepared to coach his squad to a World Series title, a feat New York has been begging for since 2009.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published at vmikeydets.com.
