Jim DeSana enters his 10th year as the General Manager for the Monarchs. DeSana led the Monarchs to the Great Lakes League Championship in 1999, their first season in the League. Under DeSana’s direction, the Monarchs have been one of the most successful summer college programs in the Midwest, qualifying for the post season in 6 out of 7 Great Lakes League seasons. The 2000 team finished third in the nation at the NBC World Series, losing to the Hays Larks in the semi-final game.

DeSana was the Head Baseball Coach at St. Mary Catholic Central High School from 2000 to 2009. In his 9 seasons, DeSana set the school record for coaching wins (168) and the single season record for wins at 24 in 2005. He won 4 district titles and was named the Huron League Coach of the Year in 2005 as the Falcons won the League Crown. DeSana was named District coach of the Year 4 times. His high school coaching career also included a two year (1990/1991) stint as the JV coach at Riverview Gabriel Richard DeSana was the Head Coach of the Monarchs in 1999 and 2000. 

He began his summer college coaching career in the highly successful Adray Collegiate Baseball program. He served as the Head Coach of the Downriver Adray Kings from 1993 to 1998, winning 6 League titles. DeSana’s biggest coaching win came in 1994 when his Adray team defeated the Canadian Olympic Team in the Championship game of the CanAm Invitational in Windsor, Ontario.

DeSana graduated from Riverview Gabriel Richard High School in 1981 where he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player. DeSana went on to Central Michigan University where he was a reserve catcher in 1982 and 1983.

Jim and his wife Stephanie live in Carleton, Michigan and have eight children: Megan, Emily, Katherine, James, Andrew, Joseph, Madeleine and John.

Field Manager - Mike Montgomery

Mike Montgomery is a resident of San Marcos, Texas and is in his second season with the Monarchs. He served as the pitching coach in 2008 and will move up to serve as the Field Manager in 2009 as well as working with the Monarchs pitching staff.

He has been a High School baseball coach in Texas for 24 years, 17 years as a Head Coach. Mike has also been a high school assistant football coach in Texas for the past 24 years. He is currently a teacher in the Lake Travis school system and serves as an assistant  football coach with Lake Travis, which has won back to back State titles.

He has worked at the Texas All-Star Baseball Academy as an instructor for the last 5 years and has 7 years of experience as an instructor at the University of Texas Baseball Camps. He also was an instructor for two seasons at the Texas Tech Baseball Camps.

Mike is a graduate of Olathe (KS) High School and went on to play college baseball at Emporia State University where he earned All-American honors as a pitcher his Senior year. He also pitched in the NAIA World Series in 1984.

Mike and his wife Benita will celebrate their 25-year wedding anniversary this October. They have two sons, Matt, 23 & Nick, 20. Matt attends Texas State University and Nick is attending Middle Tennessee State University where he is a pitcher on the baseball team. Nick pitched for the Monarchs last season and is on the 2009 Lake Erie Monarchs team.

Assistant Coach: Dale Gray

Dale Gray has been coaching for 22 years at various levels of amateur baseball. He developed some of the first travel teams in the Jackson, MI area. He developed and ran the Rose City Fall Baseball League, which was the area's first high school fall baseball league. It drew players and teams from as far away as Ohio to participate. He was an assistant varsity coach at Jackson High School in Jackson, MI for six years. He spent eight years as the head coach of American Legion Post #324 developing many players for the collegiate level.

Dale began coaching at the summer collegiate level in 2007 as the assistant coach of the Livonia Lake Erie Monarchs. In 2009, he became the head coach of the (Lake Erie) Toledo Monarchs. During this time, his team won the Adornetto's Y - City Bash baseball tournament in Zanesville, OH. The Toledo Monarchs were the 2009 Tom Checkush Memorial AAABA Regional Champions, earning a berth to the AAABA World Series in Johnstown, PA. They finished 5th in the national tournament.

Dale is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in Industrial Technology. He worked in private industry for 20 years before leaving as Director of Engineering for Albion Industries in 1996 to start his own business, Old Mill Interior Designs, in Jackson, MI. Dale's son, Tim, was a pitcher at Eastern Michigan University and is currently the pitching coach for the Lake Erie Monarchs.

Dale and his wife Susan live in Jackson, MI. They also have a daughter Jessica who lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Pitching Coach: Tim Gray

Tim Gray earned a bachelor of science in communication from Eastern Michigan University in 2008. He took courses in sports psychology, athletic training, health wellness, and nutrition.

Tim was a pitcher for the Eastern Michigan baseball team. He was a member of the Baseball Dug Out Club at Eastern Michigan where he directed and organized baseball day camps, fundraising campaigns, and coordinated community service activities for underprivileged families. 

From 2008-09, Tim was a baseball instructor at the Michigan Baseball Academy in Ann Arbor, MI. He led individual training sessions and improved class attendance by developing an effective marketing program to surrounding areas.

In 2009, Tim became the pitching coach for the Lake Erie Monarchs. He sprearheaded goal-oriented and very detailed exercise programs, which improved physical fitness and statistical results. He also helped to organize and direct fundraising campaigns, and helped lead the team to a #5 national ranking.

Assistant GM: Tim Corbey, Stan Moyer