Grant Desme recently completed his third season as the head coach of the Gyrene baseball program. Desme was initially named the head coach of the baseball program at Ave Maria University in September 2017.
Desme was drafted in the second round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, and spent three seasons in the Oakland farm system. Desme, an outfielder, was drafted out of Cal Poly after winning the Player of the Year award in the Big West Conference. His junior season, where he won conference player of the year honors, saw him hit .405 with 15 home runs and 53 runs batted in.
In three seasons in professional baseball, Desme recorded a .286 batting average. His only full season came in 2009, when he hit 31 total home runs and stole 40 bases with the Stockton Ports and Kane County Cougars. After the regular season, he was named the Most Valuable Player in the Arizona Fall League in 2009, playing against many of the best young players in professional baseball.
Desme left professional baseball after the 2009 season, deciding to pursue the priesthood. He served as an assistant coach at St. Michael's Preparatory School in California during his time in the seminary. During the 2016 season, St. Michael's Prep posted a 12-0 record in Express League play, and put together a winning season.
