Fairchild Named Blazers Head Baseball Coach
IRVING, Texas – Lance Fairchild was named head baseball coach at Dallas College North Lake.
Fairchild comes to North Lake after serving the past two years as an assistant coach at Dallas College Eastfield, the Dallas Athletic Conference back-to-back champion and two-time National Junior College Athletic Association Division III runner-up.
"First, I'm really thankful for the opportunity that (North Lake Athletic Director) Greg Sommers and (Dallas Athletic Conference Commissioner) Ms. (Sadiaa) Jones are giving me," Fairchild said. "I have a lot of pride in this conference. I'm just excited to lead a program here at North Lake. North Lake is an institution I've always admired from afar. In my first week here, it's really a close bond that you can see across the campus, from faculty and other coaches. I'm just excited to be here, and lead a program."
At Eastfield, Fairchild managed the pitching staff, and served as the recruiting coordinator. The Harvester Bees went 48-13 overall, 26-4 in the DAC in 2023, advancing to the national championship series. In 2022, Eastfield was 47-12-1 overall, 24-6 in the league, with a trip to the national championship round.
"I think the first reason we liked Coach Fairchild here at North Lake was just the amount of time he has in Dallas College, first as a student then as an assistant coach at multiple campuses," Sommers said. "His personality fits in with our culture and our staff here at North Lake. He's a servant leader. He puts the student first. That's what motivates him. He's very humble. He works very hard. He's a grinder. He loves the recruiting aspect. I think Coach Fairchild is not only going to go out and bring in good talent, he's going to do everything he can to develop and coach these student-athletes, and then also work hard to transfer them out."
From 2015-20, Fairchild was an assistant coach at Dallas College Cedar Valley. In his last five years with the Suns, he oversaw the recruiting duties. Fairchild helped lead the Suns to NJCAA District C/Region V Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2019. In 2017, the Suns won a then school-record 37 games.
Fairchild pitched professionally from 2015-18 in the Pecos League, American Association, Pacific Association and Canadian-American Association. He pitched two years at NCAA Division II University of Texas Permian Basin in 2014 and 2015, following a redshirt season in 2013. As a senior, he went 4-3 with a 4.19 earned run average, three complete games and 36 strikeouts in 58 innings, while making 12 appearances and 11 starts.
Fairchild played two years at Cedar Valley from 2011-12. He was an NJCAA All-Academic recipient as a sophomore, recording a 3.99 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 70 innings, while making 15 appearances. He went 1-1 with 10 strikeouts in 13 innings as a freshman. As a hitter in 2011, he batted .279 with three doubles, a triple, a home run, eight runs batted in and 10 runs scored in 61 at-bats, while playing in 32 games.
"I want to thank (Cedar Valley) Coach (Robert) Dalley and (Eastfield) Coach (Michael) Martin for being two great mentors for me," Fairchild said. "They really taught me a lot, and helped me to get to where I am now, really prepared me for this role. I'm just really excited to get started."