University of Portland Athletics

Connor Lambert was promoted as the second associate head coach and Portland Pilot Baseball program history in the summer of 2022. Lambert earned the promotion after leading a highly successful pitching staff over the last five seasons as the pitching coach for Portland.

Portland has put together a stellar pitching staff under Lambert. The Pilots have finished in the top five in the WCC in ERA, shutouts, strikeout-to-walk ratio, strikeouts per nine innings and hits allowed per nine innings each year since Lambert first joined the Pilots. This past season, Portland ranked second in the conference in ERA (4.30), WHIP (1.38) and hits allowed per nine (8.36).

On top of the statistical success, 11 different Pilot pitchers since 2018 have earned some form All-WCC recognition. This past year, Brett Gillis became the first Pilot pitcher to earn WCC Pitcher of the Year, making the All-WCC First Team as well. Other pitchers that earned recognition include Peter Allegro (Second Team), Brock Gillis (Honorable Mention), Eli Morse (Honorable Mention) and Joey Gartrell (Freshman Team). The Pilots had two pitchers taken in the 2022 MLB Draft, with Gillis being taken in the ninth round by the Houston Astros and left-hander Caleb Franzen being selected in the 12^th round by the Colorado Rockies. 

Lambert, who pitched at Washington State and was the associate head coach/pitching coach for the Corvallis Knights for seven years, joined the University of Portland baseball staff as pitching coach during the summer of 2017. In addition to the position with the Knights, Lambert was the director of baseball operations at the University of Utah from 2015-17.
 
Corvallis is one of the premier summer collegiate wood-bat teams in the country, and Lambert helped lead the Knights to West Coast League Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2016. The Knights led the league in ERA in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016, and set a then-WCL record with 401 strikeouts in 2011. Lambert was also the pitching coach for the 2011 and 2012 WCL All-Star games.
 
Lambert was an integral part of the staff for the Utes, who won the Pac-12 Championship in 2016 to advance to an NCAA Regional. Lambert provided statistical analysis while at Utah, and he was responsible for a variety of essential tasks.
 
Lambert, who originally hails from Olympia, Wash., previously spent two seasons as the pitching coach at Tacoma Community College. TCC set a new school record for wins in 2014 (39) and at one point had a 27-game win streak with seven straight shutouts. The Titans were ranked as high as No. 17 in the Perfect Game JUCO Poll, their highest national ranking ever.
 
As a pitcher at Washington State (2007-10), Lambert made 60 appearances with seven starts, going 11-3 during his career on the mound. As a senior team captain, he went 5-1 with two saves and a 3.53 ERA. He earned Pac-10 Player of the Week honors as a freshman in 2007 after striking out 10 in a win over Air Force, which was his first collegiate start. Lambert helped lead WSU to NCAA appearances in 2009 and 2010, pitching in six games during regional competition. He worked as a graduate assistant coach for the Cougars in 2011, serving as the assistant pitching coach and bullpen coach.