The UIS baseball program has announced the hiring of Chris Rodriguez as its assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Rodriguez, formerly the Director of Baseball Operations at Jacksonville University, will work closely with the UIS pitching staff.

"I'm very grateful for this opportunity and excited for the journey that lies ahead," said Coach Rodriguez. "I'm eager to get to know these young men and further their development on and off the field. We will work diligently each day to get this group one step closer to their degree and returning to the World Series in Cary, NC. My wife and I couldn't be more thrilled. We are looking forward to being a part of the UIS family and Springfield community. "

Rodriguez has experience at the NCAA Division I level, including using his kinesiology background in combination with baseball technology such as pitch tracking software. Five athletes went on to play professional baseball in his three years at Jacksonville University. The program set its record strikeouts per nine innings (9.70) and lowest opponent batting average (.247) in 2022. The Dolphins won the ASUN Championship and advanced to Columbia Regional in the spring 2021 season.

Rodriguez, an alum of Wright State, served as a volunteer assistant for the Raiders in 2018 before taking on the role of Director of Player Development in the spring of 2019. Rodriguez served as the Coordinator of Player Development for the University of Central Florida in the fall of 2019 before being hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in January of 2020. 

Rodriguez also has a background in international coaching, serving as an assistant in the summer of 2018 for the Lithuanian National Team for a bid to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He helped lead the team to a Pool B Championship in the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB).

Rodriguez played for Kishwaukee College during the 2016 season, where he led the Kougars to an Arrowhead Conference championship. His playing career started at Spring Hill College in 2012 before he transferred to Volunteer State in 2013. 

Rodriguez received his Bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership from Wright State University and Master's in Kinesiology from Jacksonville University.