University of Tennessee Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Director of Baseball Operations
Gajewski will be responsible for managing all baseball camps, oversight of student managers, serving as an academic liaison to the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center and the overall operations of the baseball program.
"I have been affiliated with Kenny for many years as he is both a former player and good friend of mine and I could not be happier to have him on board here at Tennessee," Serrano said. "He is a very intelligent young man that will bring organization and class to our baseball program."
A former pupil of Serrano's at Cerritos Junior College, Gajewski also played with UT associate head coach Greg Bergeron at both Cerritos and Cal State Dominquez Hills before transferring to Oklahoma where he helped the Sooners claim the 1994 national championship.
"When Coach Serrano contacted me and asked if this was something I would be interested in, it was an easy decision for me to make," Gajewski said. "To have the opportunity to work with these coaches, guys I would call best friends and family, was an absolute no-brainer. I am totally thrilled and feel that we truly have a chance to do something special here in Knoxville."
Following his playing days, Gajewski served as a graduate assistant for the Sooners in 1995 and as a volunteer assistant at Kansas State in 1996. He then returned to OU as the university's athletic turf and maintenance director in 1997.
In that role, Gajewski was responsible for maintaining all of the athletic fields and outdoor facilities while supervising a crew of seven full-time grounds workers and five full-time maintenance workers. In 2001, the field at OU's L. Dale Mitchell Park was named the Beam Clay Baseball Diamond of the Year. That same season, the OU Softball Complex was presented the Field Maintenance Award by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and TURFACE sports field products.
Since 2007, Gajewski has been the owner and operator of three Norman, Okla.-based turf business - Champions Athletic Turf (athletic field renovation), Sooner Curb and Border (decorative concrete) and Ameriturf MidSouth (synthetic turf).
A native of Los Alamitos, Calif., Gajewski is a lifelong friend of Bergeron's, having played on numerous Little League teams together before their time at both Cerritos JC and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Gajewski married the former Kristen Clifford of Oklahoma City in January 2002. The couple has a son, Preston (5) and a daughter, Logan (6 months).
