North Central College Men's Baseball

Ed Mathey '86 joined the North Central College baseball coaching staff in November 2014 in his second stint guiding the Cardinal program, previously manning the helm for nine seasons from 1994-2002. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Mathey has compiled a 507-323-2 record over his 20 seasons at North Central. In between stints at his alma mater, Mathey spent 12 seasons at Northern Illinois University, amassing 801 career wins over his 32 total seasons as a collegiate head coach. North Central 1994-2002, 2015-present 10 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships 1994, 1996, 1998, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 Seven CCIW Tournament Championships 1994, 1996, 1998, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2025 Eight appearances in NCAA Division III Baseball Regional 1994, 1998, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2025 Two NCAA Division III College World Series appearances 1987, 2017 2017 College World Series Semi-Finalist 20 All-America awards 71 All-Region awards Six Central Region Player of the Year awards 84 All-CCIW awards Eight CCIW Players of the Year Four CCIW Newcomers of the Year Two Major League Baseball draft picks All-time winningest coach with 507 career wins First team in CCIW history to win seven-straight CCIW Regular Season Championships Eighth straight ABCA Academic Team Awards (2018-present) Northern Illinois University 2003-2014 All-time winningest coach with 294 career wins Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division Championship in 2013 59 all-conference selections, 34 professional players, 20 all-region selections, 11 Major League Baseball draft picks and eight All-Americans CCIW Coach of the Year 1994, 1996, 1998, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 D3baseball.com Central Region Coach of the Year 2016 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Central Region Coach of the Year 2017 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Played four years at North Central earning First Team All-CCIW honors as a pitcher in 1985 Graduated from North Central in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management Graduated from University of Illinois in 1991 with a master’s degree in athletic administration Resides in Naperville, Illinois with wife, Colleen Has three children, Patrick, Michael and Juliet

Connor Christman M'23 joined the North Central College baseball coaching staff in 2021 as a graduate assistant. In August of 2023, Christman was elevated to his current assistant coach role. As an undergraduate at Butler University (Indianapolis, Ind.), Christman was part of the Bulldog's Baseball team from 2016-2020. He was named team captain by his coaches and teammates and mentored his teammates with balancing the student-athlete life. He was also named on the Big East All-Academic Team in 2019 and 2020. Christman volunteered at Butler events such as Million Meal Marathon, which brought packed meals to food pantries across Indiana to help feed the hungry.  From Noblesville, Ind., Connor Christman graduated Butler University with a bachelor of science in business marketing. In May of 2023, he earned his master's degree from North Central.

Michael Patterson '23 joined the North Central College athletics department as an athletic facilities and event management graduate assistant in August 2024. Patterson was a four-year member of the Cardinal baseball team which won two College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Titles. He served as a leadership council member for the baseball team as an upperclassman. Patterson also worked as the student baseball manager in the fall of 2023. While on campus, he worked as a student event staff member for Cardinal athletic competitions. Outside of North Central, Patterson was an accounting clerk for Elite Business Services. A native of Crystal Lake, Ill., Patterson graduated from North Central with a bachelor's degree in business administration and is currently pursuing his master's degree in business administration.