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| John Fitzgerald totaled 346 victories in 17 years as a collegiate head coach for three D-III programs. Chicago athletics photo |
CHICAGO – Lewis University announced on Tuesday that John Fitzgerald has been hired as the department's new Associate Director of Athletics for External Relations. Fitzgerald served as University of Chicago's head baseball coach from 2014-21.
In his seven years at UChicago, Fitzgerald led the baseball team to a cumulative record of 132-90 (.595 winning percentage). The Maroons won 65 percent of their games over the past five seasons.
Fitzgerald totaled 346 victories in 17 years as a collegiate head coach, including 10 seasons with at least 20 wins. He previously helmed the baseball programs at North Central College (2008-14) and Illinois Institute of Technology (2004-06).
"It has been an incredible honor to serve as the Head Baseball Coach at the University of Chicago for the last seven years," Fitzgerald said. "I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to coach such immensely talented student-athletes while also working alongside outstanding mentors and peers in our athletic department. As an alum, I will always have great affinity for the baseball program and the institution. I am excited to see the success that they will enjoy in the near future under Angie Torain's leadership."
The Maroons were recognized with 13 All-Region awards during Fitzgerald's tenure, and produced two All-Americans in third baseman Kyle Engel (2015) and pitcher Drew Bryan (2021). Fitzgerald's players currently hold 11 single-season and career school records.
UChicago baseball joined the Midwest Conference as an affiliate member starting with the 2019 season. The team has gone 25-11 in conference games and compiled 10 All-MWC players between the 2019 and 2021 seasons. This past spring, the Maroons posted a 19-10 overall record. Bryan, outfielder Payton Jancsy and catcher Brett Riegler were All-Region honorees. Bryan led the nation with a perfect 0.00 ERA while Jancsy paced all of NCAA Division III with 1.07 stolen bases per game.
As a collegiate athlete, Fitzgerald was a four-year letterwinner on the UChicago baseball team. The left-hander graduated in 1998 with a career pitching record of 12-8. He also helped the Maroons reach 20 wins in three-consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.
Assistant coaches Paul Stevens and Kevin Tyrrell will lead the UChicago program while a national search is conducted to fill the head baseball coach position.