ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Great Lakes Valley Conference announced on Wednesday (March 23) that former Lewis University softball coach George DiMatteo and former Lewis University baseball player Mike Stevenson have been inducted into the GLVC Hall of Fame.
The GLVC Hall of Fame Class of 2022 will be honored at the Enterprise/GLVC Spring Awards Reception at the Drury Plaza Hotel in St. Louis on Tuesday, May 24.
DiMatteo began his long-time tenure at Lewis in the 1984 season after the Flyers joined the GLVC in 1981. He accumulated 1,032 wins during his 31-year career, ranking 11th in Division II history. While at Lewis, DiMatteo's teams advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional 13 times, finishing as National Runner-Up in the 2001 season with a program-record 55 wins that year. A seven-time GLVC Coach of the Year, DiMatteo won 11 conference championships over the course of his career, 10 of which came in the GLVC, and finished runner-up nine times. On top of all his success leading the Flyers' program to being a consistent power in not only the Conference, but the region, he coached eight GLVC Players of the Year and five All-Americans. Moreover, DiMatteo won two regional coaching awards in 1994 and 2000 and had twelve teams ranked in the final NFCA polls, including the program's highest-ever ranking at No. 2 in 2001.
Stevenson is regarded as one of the best players in the history of the Lewis baseball program. On the team from 1988-91, he was named All-GLVC and All-American three-straight times from 1989-91. Stevenson has his name plastered on the Flyers' record books, owning three career records in hits (341), runs batted in (230), and doubles (80), as well as a single-season doubles record (30). He's also second all-time in career batting average (.417) and runs scored (221). Helping lead the Flyers to three consecutive NCAA Division II Baseball World Series appearances from 1988-90, the lefty started all but six games during that stretch where Lewis notched three top-five finishes in the country. The 1991 GLVC Player of the Year, Stevenson was also named the North Central All-Region Player of the Year, as well as the NCAA Division II Player of the Year that season, which makes him the only player in program history to receive that honor. Following his career at Lewis, Stevenson was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1991.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 classes were left vacant, while the 2022 GLVC Hall of Fame Class will be the 19th class to be inducted since the establishment of the honor in 2002. With the inclusion of the Class of 2022 in May, the GLVC Hall of Fame membership will expand to 84 former administrators, coaches, and student-athletes.
