Mat Mundell
Head Coach
Mat Mundell was named the head coach of the Purple Aces program prior to the 2015 season and has brought a mentality that emphasizes success both on the field and in the classroom. Riding the momentum of the inaugural season at the newly-renovated Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at James & Dorothy Cooper Stadium, Mundell's squad opened the 2023 season with a 13-1 record. For the first time in over 20 years, UE received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll.
Anchoring the 2016 MVC Coaching Staff of the Year, Mundell has seen his student-athletes continuously improve in their time with the program. Marah Wood completed the 2023 campaign with a spot on the All-MVC Second Team while Zoe Frossard earned MVC All-Defensive Team accolades one year after earning league Newcomer of the Year honors. Mackenzie McFeron enjoyed her best year with the program in 2022 with a spot on the All-MVC Second Team. Following the season, 10 student-athletes earned Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete recognition.
Mundell's senior class of 2021 will be regarded as one of the top in school history with Eryn Gould highlighting the group. The 3-time All-MVC First Team performer broke the program walk record in her final game while completing one of the top offensive seasons in UE history. Gould set the all-time Aces single season records for batting average (.418) and on-base percentage (.566). Aside from Gould's recognition, he directed Jessica Fehr to a spot on the All-MVC Second Team while Hannah Hood garnered All-Defensive Team honors.
His emphasis on the defensive side of the ball is evident by the performances of his student-athletes. An Evansville player has picked up a nod on the MVC All-Defensive Team on five occasions so far. The shortened 2020 season saw the Aces heating up just as the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UE won four of its final six games, including a 6-inning 9-1 victory over Illinois and an 11-0 win over Purdue Fort Wayne in the home opener.
In the circle, he brought in Morgan Florey, who etched her name into the record books. An All-MVC First Team player in 2018. Florey set the UE record that season with 303 strikeouts and is one of just six in MVC history to reach 300 K’s. Florey posted 26 strikeouts against SIU, the 3rd-highest tally in the NCAA record book. In 2017, he led the Purple Aces to double-figure conference wins once again and a top five finish in the league. Brittany Hay was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year while Morgan Florey earned second team honors.
In one of the nation’s top turnarounds, Mat Mundell led the Purple Aces to a 16-win increase in 2016 on his way to his staff being named the Missouri Valley Coaching Staff of the Year. Highlighting the season was a streak in April that saw the program win four consecutive conference series, including wins against eventual league champion Wichita State. The all-time winningest softball coach in University of Illinois Springfield history took the helm of the Purple Aces prior to the 2015 seasons. Faced with difficult odds in his inaugural campaign at UE, Mundell did an admirable job with his squad. His work with Danielle Freeman resulted in her being named an All-MVC player in softball after doing the same in swimming.
After assuming the position of Head Softball Coach at UIS in 2009, Mundell experienced unparalleled success. Guiding the program through a period of transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II, Mundell guided the Prairie Stars to over 100 wins while recruiting and coaching 15 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Academic All-Americans and 24 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Academic All-Conference players.
Under the tutelage of Mundell, the Prairie Stars excelled in the classroom, earning a team grade-point average of at least a 3.20 every season, including a program-best 3.43 GPA in 2014 to earn its first-ever GLVC team academic award. A student-athlete himself, Mundell was a 3-year Varsity tennis player at Eureka College. He graduated with Bachelor’s degree in 2003. Mundell also studied education in his time at UIS. Mat is married to Kelly Mundell and the couple has two daughters.