CHICAGO – In advance of the 2023 season, the UIC baseball team is proud to welcome 19 newcomers to the program. One of the largest signing classes in program history, the 19 new players will help the Flames navigate their first season as members of the Missouri Valley Conference this upcoming spring.
 
"We've been able to address a lot of needs," said head coach Sean McDermott. "We lost 17 guys last year between COVID seniors, graduation and a draft pick. We did a good job getting some choice guys out of the portal that will help impact us, but I feel like our freshman class and JUCO transfers that we have signed create a really deep talent pool."
 
The 19-member signing class is comprised of nine recent high school grads along with 10 college transfers. Twelve of the 19 newcomers are local talent, having grown up in Illinois. The Flames went north to Wisconsin for four players and west to Iowa for one additional new Flame. The final two signees hail from California, a location UIC has heavily recruited in the past.
 
"I'm really excited for them as players, but the student-athletes we got are the right fit for UIC. It's a heavy blend of Wisconsin and Illinois, which we like, and then we were able to supplement from some other areas which we always feel like we need to do as well," added McDermott.
 
McDermott's class has an even distribution of positional talent. Nine players are listed as pitchers, three signees are infielders and two recruits are outfielders. The Flames added a pair of catchers, two utility players and one player listed as a pitcher and outfielder.
 
"I want to give John Flood and Brendan Hayden all the credit in the world," added Those guys worked their butt off to put this class together. They did a great job identifying really good players and finding players that are the right fit for our program athletically and academically. The ability for this group to grow and help lead our program into the Missouri Valley Conference is a direct reflection of the coaches that were out there recruiting. I'm proud of those guys and excited for where we're going with our next recruiting class as well."