SIUE

Sean Lyons begins his ninth season in the Cougar dugout in 2025. He opens the season with a 162-222-1 record as the Cougars’ Head Coach.

In 2024, Lyons guided SIUE back to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the third consecutive year, marking the first time the team has made three straight appearances in the Championship. The Cougars won a game at the tournament for the first time since 2022 season.

The 2024 Cougars finished the year tied for fourth in the OVC with a .280 team batting average. SIUE was third in the league going 83-103 stealing bases. The 83 stolen bases established a new team record at the Division I level.

Under Lyons, four Cougars were recognized by the OVC following the 2024 season. Lucas Spence, who led the league in hitting at .385, was named to the All-OVC first team. His 85 hits were the most for an SIUE player at the Division I level. Following the season, Spence was signed by the Houston Astros to a free agent contract.

Infielder Ryan Niedzwiedz, outfielder Daniel Gierer and pitcher Joseph Martin all were named to the OVC All-Freshman team in 2024.

Lyons guided the Cougars to a seventh-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference and a return to the OVC Tournament for the second straight season in 2023. He also oversaw the completion of the careers of Brennan Orf (Blue Jays) and Avery Owusu-Asiedu (Phillies), who both were drafted into Major League organizations following the season, marking the first time two SIUE players had been drafted in the same season since the 1999 draft saw three Cougars drafted. In addition, pitcher Jake Bockenstedt was signed into the White Sox organization following the draft.

The 2023 Cougars finished seventh in the OVC in batting average at .269 but were third in doubles (105) and home runs (69).

Cougar pitchers were sixth in earned run average (6.38) but tied for second in the league with 434 total strikeouts. SIUE was fourth in batting average against at .278.

With a 7-0 shutout of UT Martin April 3, 2022, at Simmons Complex, Lyons earned his 100th win at the helm of SIUE baseball. 

In 2022, Lyons guided the Cougars to one of their most successful seasons since moving to Division I in 2009. SIUE finished 27-28, the second most wins the program has amassed at the Division I level. He led the Cougars back to the OVC Tournament for the first time since 2015, where SIUE won for the first time, going 2-2 at the Championship and falling to eventual champion Southeast Missouri.

The 2022 campaign was undoubtedly the program’s most successful offensive season since the transition. SIUE hitters combined to hit .303, ten points higher than any other season at Division I. The Cougars slugged .524 and reached base at a .384 clip both records at the Division I level. SIUE scored 430 runs, bettering the next closest season by 85 runs, despite playing just three more games. The Cougars established a new school record by blasting 99 home runs, which was good for second in the OVC and ranked 21^st in the NCAA. SIUE baseball racked up 585 hits and 1,013 total bases, both good for program highs at the Division I level.

Under Lyons, Brett Johnson and Richie Well earned All-Region honors following their final season in a Cougar uniform.

Johnson belted a program-record 23 home runs while driving in 63 runs, to set a new record at the Division I level. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 10^th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

Well had a breakout season of his own hitting 19 doubles to establish a new Division I mark. He hit 14 home runs, which ranks No. 4 on SIUE’s single-season list. Well hit .571 (8-14) with eight RBIs at the OVC tournament and was SIUE’s first-ever selection to the OVC All-Tournament team.

Johnson, Brady Bunten and Kaid Karnes all earned first team All-OVC honors while Brennan Orf was named to the second team.

The 2021 team finished 23-27 overall, which matched the most wins under Sean Lyons (2017). SIUE was 13-17 in Ohio Valley Conference play, marking the most OVC wins for the Cougars since 2015.

SIUE’s offense excelled in 2021. The Cougars led the OVC in slugging percentage (.462) and triples (15), while finishing second in the league in home runs (64), runs batted in (296) and total bases (804). Additionally, SIUE was third in doubles (98), fourth in batting average (.278), runs scored (315) and hits (484).

Lyons oversaw a pair of All-OVC performers in Brady Bunten and Brett Johnson, both of whom were selected the second team following the season.

Off to a promising start before the suspension of college sports, the Cougars finished the abbreviated 2020 season at 8-7 overall and 3-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The schedule featured nonconference wins over Nicholls State, George Washington, Texas-San Antonio and Stephen F. Austin. The Cougars swept their only Ohio Valley Conference series versus Tennessee Tech while featuring a strong pitching staff and an improved lineup. 

SIUE hit .314 in its three-game sweep of Tennessee Tech, while limiting the visiting Golden Eagles to a .148 batting average. Cougar hurlers fanned 45 hitters over three days.  

2019 saw the Cougars win 19 games, adding four wins over the season before. SIUE won 11 Ohio Valley Conference games in 2019, tying for the most OVC wins under Lyons, but falling a game short of earning their first OVC tournament berth since 2015. SIUE earned OVC series wins over Southeast Missouri, UT Martin and Murray State in 2019.

As a team SIUE improved on both sides of the field. The Cougars hit .263 as a team, improving their team mark by nearly 20 points, while also dropping their team earned run average. SIUE remained one of the best fielding teams in the OVC.

Two longtime Cougars, Brock Weimer and Dustin Woodcock, wrapped up their Cougar careers under Lyons in 2019. Weimer connected on 12 home runs in 2019 and finished with a school record 35 long balls in his career. His 140 RBIs are ninth most in a career at SIUE. Woodcock finished eighth on the career list for games played and started at SIUE while racking up 48 doubles to rank No. 8 on the all-time list. He also appears in the top 20 with 120 RBIs during his time.

Pitchers Kenny Serwa and Colin Baumgartner continue to establish themselves as front-of-the-rotation pitchers. Serwa earned All-OVC honors despite an injury-shortened season. Serwa made seven starts and tied for the OVC lead with two complete games. Baumgartner tied for third in the league with 15 starts. His 82 strikeouts led the team and his 9.93 strikeouts per nine innings was fifth best in the league.

Playing a challenging nonconference schedule, the Cougars finished at 15-37 overall in 2018. During the season, SIUE faced the likes of Louisiana Tech, Oral Roberts and top-25 ranked Wichita State, while also face a pair of NCAA regional teams - Tennessee Tech and Morehead State in Ohio Valley Conference play. Under Lyons, Jared McCunn finished his two-year career in 2018, leading the team in hitting with a .321 batting average. Catcher Brock Weimer continued his strong play at the plate, leading the team in home runs and RBIs for the second straight season. Pitchers Mason McReaken and Nelson Martz finished their SIUE careers under Lyons and began their journey in to pro baseball. McReaken in his second season in the Atlanta Braves organization. 

Finishing at 23-29, Lyons established a new school record for wins by a first-year head coach in 2017.

In his first season in charge, Lyons oversaw a 14-win improvement from the previous season, marking the 13th largest turnaround in the NCAA. 

The Cougars' turnaround came largely from a much-improved offense. SIUE enjoyed its best offensive season since the move to NCAA Division I in 2009. The Cougars combined for a .293 batting average, which was the team's highest average since 2010. In OVC play, the average jumped to .316, which was third best in the league. 

SIUE's 530 hits were second most in the Division I era, and the Cougars' 340 hits during conference play ranked third in the OVC. The Cougars slugged .439 for the year and reached base at a .379 clip, at the time, both program highs for the Division I era. 

The Cougars scored 335 runs, hit 53 home runs and drove in 319 runs, all Division I era-bests and all despite playing fewer games than several previous seasons.

Under Lyons guidance, several players enjoyed breakout seasons at the plate. Sophomore catcher Brock Weimer earned first team All-OVC honors after leading the team with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs. His 15 home runs tied SIUE's single-season record.

Senior second baseman Alec Skender ranked fourth in the OVC with a .388 batting average to earn second team All-OVC honors. His average was just one point off the Division I-era school record. He finished the year with 83 hits, which is the most in school history in the Divison I-era.

Redshirt-freshman Eric Giltz hit .302 for the year, on his way to earning an OVC All-Freshman team selection. Giltz hit .340 during OVC play. 

Senior slugger Keaton Wright (.317) and junior Dustin Woodcock (.330) each hit over .300 for the season while establishing new career highs in RBIs. Wright drove in 43 runs, while hitting a career-best 12 home runs. Woodcock knocked in 42 runs and tied his career high with six homers. 

In total, six players among the regulars hit .300 or better for the season.  

Defense also proved to be a strong suit for the Cougars. SIUE led the OVC and finished 30th in the NCAA with a .979 fielding percentage. As a team, the Cougars committed just 40 errors in 1,870 total chances. SIUE turned 48 double plays which was second most in the Division I era.

Prior to coming to SIUE, Lyons was the associate head coach at Bradley. Named as the Cougars' head coach in June 2016, he is the fourth head coach in SIUE baseball history.

The native of Byron, Illinois, spent seven total seasons on the Bradley staff where he served as recruiting coordinator and hitting instructor. The 2016 season was his first as the program’s associate head coach. In his final season at Bradley, the Braves ranked No. 9 nationally averaging 2.32 doubles per game. The Braves were third in the Missouri Valley Conference with a .283 batting average and 116 doubles.

In 2015, Bradley earned an at-large berth to the NCAA championship, and the Braves’ .311 batting average was the best team mark for the tournament.

Lyons recruited and coached nine Major League Baseball draft picks, coached four Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans, and 14 first or second team All-MVC selections while at Bradley. Under Lyons, Mike Tauchman was tabbed as the 2013 Joe Carter MVC Player of the Year.

No stranger to the Ohio Valley Conference, Lyons spent six seasons on the Eastern Illinois staff before moving to Bradley. The Panthers won the OVC tournament title in 2008 and were OVC regular season champions in 2009. Also in 2009, the Panthers ranked second in the nation in hitting with a .362 batting average.

At EIU, Lyons coached seven MLB draft picks, three Freshman All-Americans and eight OVC first team members.

Lyons played for Eastern Illinois from 1996-1999, leading the Panthers in hits for three straight seasons. He was selected as one of Eastern Illinois’ 20 greatest OVC athletes during the Panthers’ celebration of their first 20 years in the OVC.

He earned a Bachelor of Science from EIU in 1999.

Lyons and his wife Jill have a daughter, Maleah and a son, Landry.  

What they said about Sean Lyons:

“Sean is a tremendous human being. He is a great coach, but a better person. I was blessed to have him here as long as I did. He’s a rising star. He’ll pour his heart and soul into that program. There are great days ahead for SIUE.”
Elvis Dominguez, head baseball coach, Bradley

“I said it when I introduced Sean for the Hall of Fame at Eastern Illinois - the two eras in which we won at EIU, Sean was involved either as a player or as a coach. Sean is a winner. He’s a great character guy. He is a great motivator and a great recruiter, but above all he is a winner. SIUE has gotten a really good person and a great family. I’m excited for Sean and excited for the program.”
Jim Schmitz, former head baseball coach, Eastern Illinois

“As an alum, I’d like to welcome Sean Lyons to SIUE. He will certainly energize the program. He is a great recruiter who knows how to win and how to build a program and he will engage the SIUE community.”
Darin Hendrickson, head baseball coach, Saint Louis, SIUE baseball alumnus

“As a member of the search committee, I saw the whole process. We had a lot of great interest as we should have. This is a phenomenal job. We had it down to two great finalists. I’m excited to have Sean on board. I think he’ll do an amazing job. I’m excited for him to get started.”
Chad Opel, SIUE baseball alumnus, Athletics Hall of Fame member