Bio

Erik Grafton, the 20th head coach in program history, enters his fifth year at the helm of the University of Dallas baseball team.

The Crusaders posted a 9-28 overall record in 2022, and a 3-18 record in conference play.  In 2021, Grafton guided the Crusaders to a 12-18 record that included an 8-11 mark in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) play in 2021. Dallas won its final four games, which included a 6-1 road trip and going 4-1 in league play to finish fifth overall. It was their best conference finish since 2016. 

A bright start to the 2020 season saw Grafton's squad sitting at 8-8, before the remainder of the spring season was haulted due to COVID-19.  In his first season with the program in 2019, the Crusaders notched their most wins and best winning record since 2013, posting a, 18-21 overall record (.462).

Off the diamond, Grafton has gotten his program involved with the community; leading to many service projects that incude: Special Olympics, Miracle League, Catholic Charities, Readers 2 Leaders, and Blue Christmas with the Irving police and Fire Departments, which has become an annual athletics department tradition since 2018.

Grafton arrives after spending six seasons as the assistant coach for the UT Tyler Patriots. Four of those seasons he helped lead the Patriots to the American Southwest Conference (ASC) Championships. 

He also spent two seasons as the recruiting coordinator for the Patriots, bringing in 23 All-Conference and 8 All-Region performers, as well as 1 All-American, the programs first since 2013. 

Grafton, a graduate of Hendrix College, lettered three years for the Warriors as a catcher and an infielder. In 2007, he was named to the All-Academic Team in the SCAC. In 2011, Grafton finished his Master's degree at the University of Central Arkansas and was a volunteer assistant with the UCA Baseball team.

Prior to UT Tyler, Grafton was an assistant coach with the Conway High School baseball team in Arkansas and a private baseball and softball instructor in Martin, Tennessee.