Softball | 9/2/2021 10:37:00 AM

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Minnesota State University Moorhead interim athletic director Chad Markuson has announced that Mike Armitage has been named as the new Dragon head softball coach.

Armitage has been an assistant coach at Illinois State University since 2018, starting as a volunteer assistant coach before being promoted to the full-time assistant position. He assisted Illinois State  to the 2021 regular season Missouri Valley Conference Championship.

"I am very excited about leading this program into a new era of Dragon softball," Armitage said. "In a short period of time, I believe our university and community will have a softball program that they can be very proud of. I would like to thank Chad Markuson and the entire search committee for their professionalism and for ultimately giving me this opportunity."

He also worked as an assistant coach for the USA U19 National men's team from 2017 to 2019.

"Coach Armitage rose to the top in the search process quickly," Markuson said. "He has a tremendous passion for softball and the total student athlete experience. He aligns very well with the university core values of Grit, Heart and Humility and I cant wait to see him on the diamond leading the Dragons softball program."

Prior to that, Armitage was head softball coach at Lexington Schools Unit #7, where he led the team to the 2016 regional championship. He was a physical education/health teacher in the district from 2013-2019. As a coach, Armitage has assisted or served as the head coach on teams with conference, regional and sectional championships at the high school level in softball and baseball. 

An accomplished fast pitch player, Armitage played on multiple North American Fastpitch Association teams, and was a first-team All-American.

Armitage earned a degree in physical education from Wisconsin-Platteville in 2008, and a master's degree in kinesiology and recreation from Illinois State in 2018.

"My family — my wife Katie, my daughter Ella (5) and my son AJ (4) are all very excited about moving to the Moorhead area and embracing all it has to offer," Armitage said.