Chris Ramirez


  • B.A., Business Administration, High Point University

Chris Ramirez is the head coach for baseball at Lenoir-Rhyne University since June 2019. Ramirez comes to Hickory from the University of Illinois Springfield, where he was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II National Coach of the Year in 2018.

Under his leadership at LR, he has led the Bears to wins over nationally-ranked opponents in each of his first two seasons. In addition, Ramirez also led Lenoir-Rhyne to the most conference wins (19) in a single season in program history in 2021.

At UIS, Ramirez inherited a program that won 30 games in the three years prior to him taking over and built it into one of the top programs in the nation. As a result, the Prairie Stars reached back-to-back NCAA Division II Regionals and secured a spot in the Super Regionals in 2019. In his final three years at UIS, Ramirez posted a 121-47-1 record, including a 29-game winning streak in 2018. He left UIS with 199 wins, the most in program history.

On top of his coach of the year, Ramirez was awarded conference and regional coach of the year honors. In addition, Ramirez coached 34 All-Conference players, including 15 first-team selections and has had 10 players named All-Region and four garner All-America status. He also coached Cole Taylor, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, becoming the first UIS player to sign with an MLB-affiliated organization.

Ramirez played at the Division I level, spending two seasons as an outfielder at High Point University and earning a spot on the Big South All-Academic team in 2005.