Mike Armitage Hired as Valpo Softball Head Coach
Valparaiso University Interim Director of Athletics Laurel Hosmer announced today that Mike Armitage has been hired to lead the Valpo softball program as head coach. Armitage comes to the Beacons following a successful stretch as head coach at Minnesota State University Moorhead, turning around the Dragons’ program, and brings familiarity with the Missouri Valley Conference with a stint on staff at Illinois State.
“We’re thrilled to bring Mike Armitage to Valparaiso University and Valpo Athletics as the next head coach of our softball program,” Hosmer said. “As we moved through our search process, it was apparent that Mike fit what we were looking for to lead this program. He has a proven ability to turn around results on the field, he has experience in the Missouri Valley Conference and he’s won while prioritizing academic success and building team culture to create an exceptional all-around student-athlete experience.”
“I would like to thank Laurel Hosmer and the search committee for the opportunity to be a part of Valparaiso University and the Valparaiso community,” Armitage said. “I am extremely excited to get to campus and get to work leading this program into a new era of Beacon softball. I believe we can be very competitive in the Missouri Valley Conference this upcoming season. As our program continues to grow, the University and the community will have a softball team they can be very proud of. As student-athletes graduate and move on in life, they will be able to look back on their time at Valparaiso and be very proud of what they have accomplished as an individual and as a member of our program. My wife Katie, daughter Ella (8) and son AJ (7) are all excited about our move to Valparaiso and embracing all the Valparaiso area has to offer.”
Armitage spent the last three seasons as head coach at MSUM, coming to Valpo after posting the first back-to-back 30-win seasons in MSUM program history. He inherited a Dragons program which had not finished above .500 since 2007.
Armitage led MSUM to a 33-19 record in 2024, matching the second-most wins in a season in program history. The Dragons advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC Tournament for the first time in program history. Three MSUM players earned All-Conference accolades in 2024, while the Dragons also boasted the conference’s Elite 18 Award winner, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NSIC’s 18 Championships.
In 2023, Armitage led the Dragons — who had posted a 9-34 record in 2021, the season prior to his arrival — to a 30-16 mark, their first 30-win campaign since the 2007 season. Armitage was named NSIC Coach of the Year and had a player earn NFCA All-Region honors for the first time in program history. The 2023 MSUM team set program single-season records for runs scored, RBIs and on-base percentage.
Prior to his time at MSUM, Armitage spent three years on staff at Illinois State, working the last two seasons as an assistant coach after serving as a volunteer assistant in his first season. Armitage helped lead the Redbirds to an MVC regular season championship and a 31-10 overall record in his final season on staff in 2021. Over his three years with ISU, despite the truncated 2020 campaign resulting in no postseason honors, Armitage helped coach 10 Redbirds to All-Conference accolades, including a trio of All-Region honorees.
Armitage also worked as an assistant coach for the USA U19 National men’s fastpitch team from 2017 to 2019, helping lead the team to a sixth-place finish at WBSC World Championships. He has several accolades as a softball player as well, including appearing on multiple NAFA All-World teams. He is an ASA major First-Team All-American and has played on teams that have finished in the top-10 of the ISC World Tournament multiple times. Armitage was also a vital member of a team that placed second in the ASA major.
Before getting into the collegiate coaching ranks, Armitage was a successful coach at the prep level. He was head coach of the Lexington [Ill.] H.S. softball program for three seasons from 2016 to 2018, leading the Minutemen to the first regional championship in program history in 2016. Armitage also was an assistant coach for four seasons at Juda [Wis.] H.S. from 2010 to 2013, helping to guide the program to three conference titles and three regional titles in his four years. Beyond softball, he also has been part of championship coaching staffs in the prep ranks in baseball and basketball as well.
Armitage earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from UW-Platteville in 2008 and finished his master’s degree in kinesiology and recreation from Illinois State in 2018.
What They’re Saying About Mike Armitage
“Mike is a rising star in the softball coaching world and we were fortunate to catch him on his rise. He checks all the boxes for a college coach — he is a tremendous recruiter, a strategic coach and a great teacher of the sport and of life. He will do great things for Valpo.”
Chad Markuson
Athletic Director, Minnesota State University Moorhead
“First and foremost, Mike has a tremendous passion for the sport of softball. He is a really innovative coach, a really good teacher of the game and a very energetic, tireless worker who will go above and beyond to do whatever needs to be done for the program to be successful. With his extensive softball background, he’s been able to develop his own product, his own way of teaching which resulted in a great turnaround at Minnesota State Moorhead. With his roots in the Midwest giving him a strong knowledge of the area from a recruiting standpoint, and his knowledge of the Valley, Mike has all the tools and the talent to lead a similar turnaround at the D-I level.”
Melinda Fischer
Former Head Softball Coach, Illinois State University
2010 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee
“Mike is an outstanding leader who brings a championship mindset. His passion for the game and for the development of student-athletes has been proven to elevate programs. I’m excited for Mike and the Valpo softball program.”
Darren Mueller
Head Softball Coach, North Dakota State University