CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – The Illinois pitching coach Mark Allen sadly passed away on February 5, 2025 at the age of 49.
He is survived by his wife, Angela, and daughters, Skylar and Avery. Allen totaled over 25 seasons coaching and scouting in professional baseball. He spent five seasons serving as Illinois’ pitching coach from 2020 to 2024.
“Today is a difficult day for Illinois baseball,” said head coach Dan Hartleb. “Coach Allen was an exceptional leader, coach, husband, and father. He impacted the lives of so many players and coaches here at Illinois and all around the country. Mark will be dearly missed within our program and by his network of hundreds of former players that he continually stayed connected with. Our thoughts and prayers are with Angela, Skylar, Avery, and the Allen family.”
In October of 2019, Allen joined Illinois and his career brought 121 wins, including during the 2024 Big Ten title. He served as the San Francisco Giants’ pitching coordinator during the 2019 season and spent eight seasons with the Cleveland Indians as a scout, cross checker, national pitching cross checker, and pitching coordinator.
Before his coaching career, he played college baseball at Vernon Junior College from 1994 to 1996, Texas-San Antonio from 1996 to 1997 and Phillips University from 1997 to 1998 before going into coaching.
