EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana announced the hiring of Chris Ramirez as the sixth head baseball coach in the history of the 54 year-old program.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to lead the USI baseball program,” said Ramirez. “The Screaming Eagles have had a rich tradition and history of success, which I look forward to building upon. Our plan is to win championships in the Ohio Valley Conference and compete in the NCAA Baseball Tournament. I can’t wait to get to know our current players and get to work”.
Ramirez has a 351-202-1 record as a head coach in 11 seasons, including three NCAA II Tournament appearances and being named NCBWA National Coach of the Year in 2018. He led Lenoir-Rhyne University to the programs most successful five-seasons in program history with a 152-80 record, reaching the NCAA post-season in 2022. He also posted a record of 199-122-1 in six years at the University of Illinois Springfield, earning trips the NCAA II Tournament in 2018 and 2019.
“We had incredible interest in this position as many coaches feel the same as we do that USI can win championships and make NCAA regionals when eligible,” said USI Director of Athletics Jon Mark Hall. “USI had interest from head and assistant coaches from Power 4 programs, mid-majors, and programs coming off regional appearances, along with interest from high level D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO programs.
“We landed on Chris because he is a winner and, like USI, earned his success through hard work,” continued Hall. “He has a blue collar, hard-working mentality that will fit right in with our athletic department and the University.”
Ramirez directed the UIS Prairie Stars into the NCAA II Midwest Regional for the first time in program history in 2018 with a 47-9 record and a Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season championship with a 23-1 conference mark. The Stars and Ramirez followed up with a Midwest Super Regional appearance in 2019 after posting a 41-17 record and a 21-12 GLVC mark.
The UIS program was ranked as high as third and fourth in the nation in both 2018 and 2019, leading the nation in both home runs and slugging percentage.
After moving on to Lenoir-Rhyne, Ramirez built the Bears into a regional contender in 2022 following a 46-13 campaign that included a 17-7 record in the South Atlantic Conference and tournament Championship. The Bears, who had four wins over teams ranked number one in the nation in 2022, finished ranked as high as 11th nationally and finished the year 15th. The 2022 pitching staff set a new NCAA II record for single season strikeouts with 647 on the year. The Bears also reached a program best in 2023 when they were ranked seventh nationally.
Ramirez served as a Division I assistant coach for six seasons at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi before taking the top spots at UIS and Lenior-Rhyne.
As a student athlete, Ramirez was a two-time All-Conference centerfielder and closer at Kirkwood Community College before earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from High Point University. He played two seasons for High Point and earned Big South All-Academic honor in 2005.
The Iowa native was born and raised in Fort Madison and won a state championship in 2000.
Ramirez and his wife, Lindsay, have three children; Layla, Mia and Stryker.
Ramirez takes over a USI baseball program which was 27-32 overall, 14-13 in Ohio Valley Conference, and placed third in the league’s post-season tournament during its second year of Division I action. USI’s 27 wins last spring were an improvement of 10 victories over its inaugural season with OVC and Division I.
