TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State University President Mike Godard announced head coach Mitch Hannahs will be stepping down from his role with the Sycamore baseball team to pursue other professional opportunities effective immediately.
Hannahs is a 1989 graduate of Indiana State and a 2010 inductee into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame. The Sycamores posted seven 30-plus win seasons and recorded ten or more wins in Missouri Valley Conference play eight times during Hannahs’ tenure. His 355 career wins are second all-time in ISU baseball history.
The Sycamores advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times over his tenure including the 2023 and 2024 seasons, marking just the third time in program history ISU advanced to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. ISU advanced to the 2024 Lexington Regional championship game this summer, the third time the program advanced to a NCAA Regional final since 2019.
“Coach Hannahs’ dedication, leadership, and passion for the game have left an unforgettable mark on Indiana State’s baseball program and the University community,” President Godard said. “We are grateful for his remarkable contributions as a coach and ISU alum over the years, which have inspired our student-athletes to strive for excellence both on and off the field. Thank you, Coach Hannahs, for your unwavering commitment to Indiana State University and the Terre Haute community. You will always be a valued member of the Sycamore family.”
“Indiana State will always be home to me and my family,” Hannahs said. “I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to coach at my alma mater. The relationships that have been built with our players, staff, campus community, and the Wabash Valley made this a really difficult decision for Amy and I. A special thank you to Coach Warn and Steve DeGroote for bringing me to ISU many years ago. It has been everything they said it would be. A special thank you to my two athletic directors while here – Ron Prettyman for taking a chance on me, and Sherard Clinkscales for all that he did for me in his time here.”
“It’s hard to put into words what Coach Hannahs has meant to Indiana State University as both a player and a coach,” Interim Director of Athletics Angie Lansing said. “We have been extremely fortunate for his presence in our department. His leadership has been greatly appreciated during his time at ISU. We thank him for the strong relationships he has built with so many, the mentorship of our student-athletes and the national exposure he has brought to our program. We wish him and the Hannahs family nothing but the best.”
The Indiana State baseball program spent most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons ranked among the major national D1 Baseball polls. The Sycamores also finished the regular season sitting No. 10 overall in the NCAA RPI Rankings.
As a team, the Sycamores wrapped up the regular season leading the Missouri Valley in conference play in nearly every single major team statistical category including batting average (.314), hits (296), slugging (.588), on-base percentage (.419), fielding percentage (.986), ERA (3.77), strikeouts (288), and opponent batting average (.224).
A national search will be conducted for the next Indiana State baseball head coach.