Matt Van Mill is coming to Elite after six years as an Assistant Coach at his alma mater, Saint Xavier University (SXU). Matt brings with him successful coaching experiences at a variety of levels. 

In his playing career, Matt went to Bishop McNamara High School (BMHS) in Kankakee, IL where he was a three-year starter on the baseball team, and a two-time All-Chicago Catholic League selection. After high school, Matt was the starting first baseman for SXU from 2006-2009 where the team’s overall record was 142 – 83 and 74 – 14 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). During Matt’s time at SXU, the Cougars earned three CCAC champion titles, two Region IIV titles, one Super-Regional title, and an NAIA World Series appearance in 2006. 

As a baseball coach, Matt started in 2011 at Summit Hill Junior High (Frankfort, IL) where the team finished the season second in the state. In 2012, he coached the Lincoln-Way North High School (Frankfort, IL) sophomore baseball team to win their conference title. Matt then moved on to coach the offense at his high school alma-mater; BMHS, where they won a regional title in 2014. In the fall of 2014, Matt took the opportunity to focus on the outfield at his collegiate alma-mater, SXU. After one year, his role was expanded and he took the ownership of the team’s defense. The Cougar defense went from being ranked 167^th in 2016 NAIA fielding percentage, to 6^th in the country in the 2020 shortened season. While Matt was coaching at SXU, seven Cougars earned CCAC Rawlings Gold Glove Honors. The Cougars went from an overall record in 2015 of 13-28 and a 11-18 conference record, to a 34-17 overall and a 24-4 conference record in 2019. In that five-season span, the team won two conference championships (’16,’19) and earned bids to the NAIA national tournament. 

Matt graduated with honors from Saint Xavier University and earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a minor in physical education. Since 2014, in addition to coaching, he has been a junior high physical education teacher in Chicago Ridge, IL. He currently resides in Chicago with his wife, Blakely.