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Lynx Head Coach – Tony Thomas
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Coach Thomas is entering his 19th season at Lincoln College.  A graduate of Argenta-Oreana High School, Thomas played and lettered all three years of varsity baseball while earning all-conference as well as All-Macon County his last two years under Coach Tom Saunches.  Thomas continued his academic and baseball career at Lincoln College, under the direction of former LC Coaches Nyles Nyman and current Murray State Coach and Lincoln native Rob McDonald, where he earned his Associate in Arts Degree.  Thomas continued his education at Millikin University in Decatur, his hometown.  He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education and lettered two years in baseball.  He was honored as a C.C.I.W All-conference shortstop for Millikin and named Most Improved Player during his senior season (1990).   Coach Thomas played two summers for the Decatur Blues of the Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL). 

He also served as Head Coach for one season with the Blues and served as an assistant with the Springfield Rifles.  His experience includes being an assistant for the Lincoln Heat baseball program for five summers; including coaching his son Ryan for three summers.  Thomas has been active with the Legion Post 263 program serving as both an Assistant and Head Coach.  Coach Thomas has held and worked at many baseball camps across the Midwest.  He is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association. Thomas previously served as an assistant at Lincoln College for three years before being named Head Coach in 1993.  He teaches, advises and is entering his 10th season as Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach. 

During his Tenure at Lincoln College Thomas has coached All Region players along with numerous All-Conference players.   Last year’s team finished fourth in the MWAC conference and set a team record high in batting average.  Freshman shortstop Kenny May was named All-Region and All-Conference with one of the best seasons by a Lynx under Coach Thomas.  Freshman outfielder Andy Mosier also was named to the honorable mention All-Conference team.

Academics has been a big part of Coach Thomas and the baseball program, during his 18 previous seasons a team grade point average has never drop below a 2.85 with team high of 3.05.  Thomas has had 9 valedictorians (4.0 gpa) and many Academic All-Americans, with 11 in the last six years.

Lynx Assistant Coach - Isaac Cox
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Isaac Cox is entering his 5th season as an assistant for the Lynx and first year as Pitching Coach and third year as recruiting coordinator. Cox was a graduate of Argenta-Oreana High School in 2004, where he was a multi-sport athlete (Baseball, Basketball, and Football). Cox continued his baseball career after high school as a pitcher for the Lynx. After graduating from Lincoln College in 2006, Cox attended Illinois State University where he helped assist their baseball program under Head Coach Jim Brownlee before rejoining the Lynx baseball club in 2007.

Cox has coached nine Major League Draft Picks, along with numerous Independent professional players.
Along with being an assistant coach at Lincoln College, Cox also is Resident Hall Director and assists with intramurals.

Cox received his B.S. in Travel, Sports, and Hospitality Management from Lincoln College-Normal in 2008, and received his Masters degree in Sports Management.

Cox was part of the coaching staff for the 2010-2011 season that received their first national ranking in school history. Cox also coached National Player of the week Kenny May, also a programs first. As hitting coach, Cox led the Lynx to a team batting average of .312, which was the highest team batting average in program history.

Cox is a member of American Baseball Coaches Association and has worked with many baseball programs and coaches while performing camps at Purdue University, Eastern Illinois University, Bradley University, and University of Kentuky.

Cox (25) currently resides in Lincoln.

Lynx Assistant Coach - Justin Ritchhart
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Justin Ritchhart is entering his first season on the Lynx coaching staff and will work with the Lynx outfielders, hitters, and assist in recruiting. Also, Ritchhart serves as the Lynx strength and conditioning coordinator. Prior to joining the Lynx, Ritchhart played four years at Quincy University 2007-2011 before going to play in instructional league for the North American League.

During Ritchhart’s collegiate playing career at Quincy University, he served as a captain for 3 years along with earning 2 GLVC Academic All-Conference awards. On the field, Ritchhart was a starter for the Hawks in the outfield or at the DH spot. While at QU, Ritchhart led the Hawks in stolen bases for 3 seasons. This past spring, Ritchhart played a vital role in the Hawks lineup as they posted a 35-20 record and were crowned GLVC Champions. Ritchhart and the Hawks went on to qualify for the NCAA Regional. This was the first GLVC baseball championship for the Hawks since 2000 and NCAA appearance since 2006.

Ritchhart’s career carried over to the summer where he spent seasons in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Canada. During his time with these teams, Ritchhart made an impact right away being named to the All-Tournament team in North Carolina and receiving Canada Day MVP honors during his time in Canada. Over Ritchhart’s career, he has played with many professional baseball players from affiliated or independent teams. After Ritchhart’s collegiate career came to an end in 2011, he had the opportunity to play in Arizona in an instructional league for the North American League which is an independent league.

Ritchhart, a native of Lincoln, IL., graduated from Quincy University in 2011 with a Bachelors of Science in Sport Management and a minor in Marketing while earning cum laude honors.

Lynx Assistant Coach - Ben Norton
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Ben Norton joins Lincoln College baseball program. Ben will primarily work with the pitching staff this spring.

Norton joined the Lynx after spending the last year and half with the University of Illinois Springfield. The past fall, he served as the interim head coach at UIS before resigning after the head coach was named.

Prior to Norton’s stint at UIS, he spent a year working for Extra Innings, one of the nation’s primer indoor baseball and softball training centers in Fort Wayne, Ind., as an Assistant Manager and pitching instructor. He also worked as a coach with the Fort Wayne Cubs, a 14-and-under travel baseball team.

Norton spent the 2008-09 season as an assistant coach at Indiana Tech where he served as the team’s pitching coach.

Before starting his coaching career, Norton was a standout hurler for the University of Evansville before taking his talents to the professional ranks spending one season pitching in the Kansas City Royals system in Idaho Falls before suffering a career-ending shoulder injury.

Norton is a 2008 graduate of Evansville with a BS in Sports Management. He is single and resides in Lincoln.

If you are interested in becoming a Lynx Baseball player, complete the online Baseball Recruiting Questionnaire.

Updated 2/7/12

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