Former UIC pitcher John Flood returns to his alma mater this season to don the number 26 once again, this time as the Flames' volunteer assistant coach. Flood, who was a key member of the 2003 pitching staff that guided the Flames to the school's first-ever NCAA Regional berth, will work primarily with the catchers and hitters in addition to serving as the first base coach. He will handle the team's pre-game activities and a variety of other areas on and off the field within the program. Flood is also the director of UIC Baseball Camps. A native of Mt. Vernon, Ill., Flood originally came to UIC in the fall of 2001 and, after sitting out the 2002 season as a redshirt, made a huge impact in his debut campaign in 2003. He went 6-2 in 13 appearances, starting 10 games, to go with a 3.68 earned run average during UIC's Horizon League tournament title run and inaugural NCAA Regional appearance. After a torn labrum in his right shoulder that required surgery hampered his collegiate pitching career, Flood entered the coaching ranks. He spent the last two years with the St. Louis Pirates, one of the premier amateur baseball programs in the Midwest, as the club's head coach and director of player development. During Flood's tenure with the Pirates, the club saw unprecedented success in a variety of areas. It grew over 400%, and in two years over 50 of his players moved on to play college baseball. Around half of those players are competing at the Division I level, including current UIC catcher Nathan Orf. Three of his players were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, including Jake Odorizzi, who was taken 32nd overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008. Flood graduated from UIC with a Bachelor of Science in finance in 2006. |
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