Kolin Conner is entering his fourth year as head assistant baseball coach at Concordia University Chicago in 2019. Conner, named the 2018 Assistant Baseball Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association, serves as the Cougars' hitting coach, work with the team's catchers, run the strength and conditioning program and assist in the recruiting. Under Conner's direction, the Cougars have a batting average of .318, while averaging 7.6 runs in his three years. Seven position players have earned NACC All-Conference honors, including Mitch Wilson three times. A CUC Cougar has won NACC Position Player of the Year each year under Conner's direction - Joe Silva in 2016 and 2018, and VanDuser in 2017. In 2018, the Cougars produced four all-region players (Silva, Wilson and Andrew Massey first-team, Jose Mercado second-team). Also, under Conner's guidance, Wilson and Silva finished as the top twp all-time for the program in career hits.            "It's truly an honor to be part of the CUC baseball staff," said Conner. "This program has a long history of winning, and I am glad to be a part of that and to keep it going."             Conner comes to River Forest from St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, IN where he played and started in 90 games during the 2012 and 2013 season as the Pumas' catcher. He hit a career .302 with seven homers, 65 RBIs and a .471 slugging percentage. Conner was awarded first-team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference and second-team Daktronics All-Region honors in 2013.             Two years of minor league experience also form part of Conner's background. He signed a free-agent contract directly out of college with the Joliet Slammers and played in 49 games that summer. In 2014, he batted .245 in 62 games with the Evansville Otters, also in the Frontier League.             Conner returned to St. Joseph's as a volunteer assistant coach and also helped with some kids' camps, the combination solidifying his decision to pursue coaching. "I love coaching, it's amazing that it is considered a job," said Conner. "Coaching gives me an opportunity to be around a game I love and do it for a living. What more can I ask for"             His development as a coach earned Conner a recommendation when the opening for the Concordia-Chicago position became available, as Conner explains: "Mike Stawski (CUC head coach) is also a St. Joseph's alumnus (2006) who has remained in touch with the program. Both of us played for Rick O'Dette, who I consider an amazing coach and mentor. When Coach O'Dette found out from Mike about the opportunity, he suggested checking me out, and everything came together."             A native of Indianapolis, IN, Conner earned his BA in educational studies with a minor in communications from St. Joseph's in 2013. He and his wife Lyndsey reside in Wheaton, Illinois with son Leo, born in August of 2018.