Kenny Lake, a former baseball ace and a member of the GW Athletics Hall of Fame, died late last month. He was 63.
Lake pitched and played first base for the Colonials from 1977 to 1981, helping guide the baseball program to its first NCAA tournament run in 20 years while pitching a single-season GW record of 108.2 innings. After earning his bachelor’s degree at GW in 1981, he became a civilian analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency and coached multiple local school and youth baseball leagues in Maryland following his retirement.
Lake was born in 1959 to Robert Edward Lake and Benita Van Steenburgh Lake and attended Peary High School in Rockville, Maryland. He was selected to the All-Met first team by The Washington Post and was the Montgomery County Player of the Year during his illustrious high school career.
Lake is currently tied for fifth place for the most shutouts in the baseball program with three shutouts in his career and 15 completed games with the Colonials. Lake recorded 13 victories during his four years with the Colonials at the mound.
Lake’s parents influenced his love for baseball, which led him to meet his wife at a baseball game the two attended with friends, according to Lake’s obituary. Lake is remembered as a man who found joy in family vacations, fantasy sports, the lottery, sports and local live entertainment.
Lake joined the GW baseball program on a scholarship in 1977. He became an integral member of the roster during his four years with the team, headlined by their 1979 run to the NCAA tournament – a season during which he batted .280 while hitting .444 over three games on the national stage.
Lake, a southpaw, is tied for the fourth-most complete games in GW history with 15, ranks fifth in shutouts with three and sits at 22nd in wins with 13.
Remembered as a legendary starting pitcher in baseball history, Lake was inducted into the GW Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
Kenny – who died in Anne Arundel County, Maryland – is survived by his wife Ruth, brother Steve and two children.