Drake Sykes, a Galesburg native who was a two-time All-America baseball player at Knox College and was inducted into the Knox-Lombard Athletics Hall of Fame last year, has returned to his alma mater to serve as the assistant baseball coach under long-time head coach Jami Isaacson for the 2025 season.

This is Sykes' second stint on the athletics staff having served in this role for the 2019-20 academic year as well as the assistant softball coach in the spring of 2018. He also spent two years as the graduate assistant coach at William Penn for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, helping the Statesmen post a combined record of 59-39 over the two seasons. He also earned a master's in sports management in 2022 from the institution.

"Drake is simply the best player in Knox Baseball history," Coach Isaacson stated. "His background since playing is fantastic. His understanding of recruitment and retention is exactly what we need. I am extremely excited to work with Coach Sykes."

While Sykes earned his bachelor's degree in economics from Knox College in 2017, he starred on the baseball diamond as a three-year letter winner, All-Midwest Conference Performer, and team MVP. For his career, the outfielder hit a combined .452/.535/.742 (batting, on-base, and slugging), setting school records with 173 hits, 284 total bases, and his .535 on-base percentage while swatting 35 doubles, eight triples, and 20 home runs to go with 109 runs scored and 109 RBIs over 103 games. He also still holds single-season program records in hits (60), total bases (99), and on-base percentage (.583).

Twice the Knox College Harley Knosher Male Athlete of the Year, Sykes earned ABCA All-Region honors three times and was an ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team selection as a junior — while also being named the Midwest Conference South Division Player of the Year — and All-America Third Team as a senior.

Sykes played professionally as well, spending time in the Australian Capital Territory Baseball League, hitting .463/.554/.642 in 27 games, leading the team in all three categories for the 2018-19 season.