The UIC baseball program has evolved into a perennial league champion and regional contender over the course of the last decade, and Sean McDermott has played an immense role in the Flames' maturation process every step of the way. Entering his 11th season as an assistant coach at UIC, McDermott works primarily with UIC's offense and defense, and the Flames have thrived in both departments during his tenure. Under McDermott's guidance, UIC has flourished and improved at the plate each season. Last season the young Flames had nine first-year Division I players swing a bat, yet their offense remained a force to be reckoned with due to a balanced mix of average (.306), on-base percentage (.392), power (35 home runs), patience (198 walks) and speed (93 stolen bases). Execution in key situations helped last year's NCAA Regional team, which ranked in the Top 20 nationally in both sacrifice flies (34) and sacrifice bunts (60). In 2007 the Flames exploded on the offensive end when it counted most, outscoring their opposition in the Horizon League Championship by a 35-10 margin with a team batting average of .417 and 23 extra-base hits in three games to sweep their way to a league title and NCAA Regional bid. In 2006 the Flames led the Horizon League in team batting average, home runs, stolen bases and on-base percentage while setting school records in runs per game and hits per game. Eight UIC players hit .300 or better that season to spur a final team batting average of .325. The Flames also hit 115 doubles and 53 home runs while averaging of seven runs of offense per game. A year earlier the Flames set a school record for runs scored in a single season (429) while batting .307 with 120 doubles to key UIC's road to an NCAA Regional berth. McDermott has also played a major role in the development of UIC's infielders and catching corps, shoring up the defensive side of the Flames' game while coaching the same players to success at the plate. While coaching UIC's infielders and catchers, McDermott has helped the Flames consistently turn in one of the Horizon League's top defenses. Last year UIC shared the Horizon League lead in fielding percentage at .961 while allowing the fewest stolen bases (39) in the conference by far. Four of McDermott's catchers at UIC (Nelson Gord, Justin Johnson, Kevin Nelson and Kevin Coddington) have moved on to the professional baseball ranks. McDermott served as the chief recruiter for the Flames during his first nine seasons and was instrumental in bringing the top-notch recruits that have played a big part in resuscitating a program that has gone on to produce well over 300 wins, seven Horizon League regular season titles, four Horizon League tournament crowns and four berths to the NCAA Regionals. McDermott joined the Flames in 1998 after serving three years as head baseball coach at Viterbo College in LaCrosse, Wis. During his stint with the V-Hawks, the squad set a single-season record for wins with 32 victories in 1997, and then made their first-ever appearance in the NAIA Regional Tournament in 1998. At Viterbo McDermott's teams set several school records, including runs scored, home runs, walks, hits, RBI, and doubles. In 1997 he led Viterbo to 32 victories, which is the best single-season win total in the program's history. Prior to his position at Viterbo College, McDermott served as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Princeton University for two seasons. Additionally, he was the head baseball coach at J. Frank White Academy and a graduate assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial University, both located in Harrogate, Tenn. McDermott began his collegiate playing career as a second baseman at Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, Iowa before transferring to Lincoln Memorial University, where he played shortstop for two seasons. McDermott, a 1993 graduate of Lincoln Memorial, and his wife, Lois, have three sons: Jack, Joe and the family's newest addition, Thomas. E-Mail Coach McDermott at smac@uic.edu. |
   |
|||||||||||||||
