CHICAGO – UIC baseball head coach Sean McDermott announced Monday afternoon the promotion of Mitch Mormann to associate head coach. Mormann, who has served as the Flames' pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the past two seasons, will continue in those roles.
 
"I think that Mitch has earned this promotion," McDermott said. "He puts in a tremendous amount of time and effort into making this place great. He has established a culture within our pitching staff, and also within our program. He has done a great job being an advocate to me. Mitch has done an unbelievable job on the recruiting side of things. He does a great job finding the right type of people and the right type of fit for UIC and has a tremendous amount of pride for this place."
 
"I am incredibly grateful to Coach McDermott, our administration, and UIC for this opportunity to be named the Associate Head Baseball Coach," Mormann said. "I am proud of our recent success, and I cannot wait to continue to build on the already rich tradition and history here at UIC."
 
Mormann joined the staff at UIC in July 2024, after making previous stops at Creighton, Ohio, South Dakota State and North Dakota. His impact was felt immediately in his first season with the Flames in 2025, as he led the pitching staff to second-best ERA in the Missouri Valley Conference (5.19), dropping the team 's ERA nearly an entire run from the season prior. His staff held batters to an improved .269 batting average over the 2025 season.
 
Mormann's work with the pitching staff was proven instrumental in UIC's run to the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season and Conference titles, leading to the program securing it's seventh appearance in the NCAA Regionals in Atlanta.
 
He worked closely with Mason Lei, who immediately emerged as the Flames' Friday night starter. Lei finished the season with eight wins and 86 strikeouts. His eight victories tied for the sixth-most in a single season in program history, while his 86 strikeouts ranked eighth. The hurler made 16 starts, throwing two complete games across 96.2 innings. That earned Lei spots on both the All-MVC First Team and the All-MVC Tournament Team and later being drafted in the 13^th round by the Boston Red Sox on July 12.
 
Mormann also played an integral role in the development of one of the strongest arms in The Valley in Mark Eddie. Eddie made 28 appearances for the Flames, posting a 2.91 ERA, collecting three wins and two saves. He played a pivotal role in sending UIC to the MVC championship game with a 3.1-inning outing with two strikeouts to earn the save in the Flames' 6-5 win over Murray State. Eddie's performance across conference play earned him a spot on the All-MVC Second Team.
 
Under Mormann's guidance, UIC's pitching staff combined for 407 strikeouts, breaking the program record of 403 set in 2018.
 
In his time with the Flames, Mormann has contributed to numerous hurlers on his staff's pursuing professional careers in both Major League and Independent League Baseball. Alongside Lei, that includes, Jared Lessman, Kendall Lyons and Cameron Nohos.
 
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