The Lehman College athletic department announced the hiring of former Major League Baseball relief pitcher John Foster as its baseball coach.

Foster, originally from Stockton, California, was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 25th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft. He began his big league career with the Braves in 2002.

Foster also pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers, appearing in 23 games for them during the 2003 season and posting a mark of 2-0 with a 4.71 ERA. That season, he struck out 16 batters in 21 innings. Perhaps his most impressive major league stint was his second go-around with the Atlanta Braves during the 2005 season when he appeared in 62 games and posted a record of 4-2 and an ERA of 4.15. In 34 2/3 innings pitched, he allowed just 27 hits and struck out 32 batters while holding batters to a .213 average. The Atlanta Braves' Director of Player Development, Kurt Kemp, had this to say about Foster's hiring:

"I was thrilled to learn that John had been named the Head Baseball Coach at Lehman College," Kemp said. "Since the end of his playing career, John has turned his attention to pursuing a coaching career in baseball and I know that he will put everything he has into making Lehman the best program it can possibly be."

John currently resides in New York City with his wife, Anisha. In 1999, he led Lewis-Clark State College to their 10th NAIA National Championship since 1984, picking up the win in relief for the National title.

He retired from Major League Baseball in 2009 with a record of 7-2, a 4.90 ERA, and 54 strikeouts in 60.2 innings pitched. Now at Lehman College, Foster is looking forward to a new career in collegiate coaching at Lehman College.

"All of my life, I have played baseball and have spent my time learning the game from others," Foster said. "I have learned so much and have applied so much during my baseball career, and now I'll have an opportunity to coach a team and help the progression of a program. I'm looking forward to using the knowledge I gained in professional baseball as a coach at Lehman College. I'm excited and ready to go."

Lehman College Director of Athletics, Dr. Martin L. Zwiren, was extremely impressed with Foster's collegiate and Major League Baseball career as well as his passion and knowledge for baseball. All of those factors eventually earned Foster the position.