Lance McMahon enters his seventh year with the Illinois softball program in 2022-23 after joining the Fighting Illini as an assistant coach in July of 2016. He serves as the pitching and catching coach for the Illini. 

The Illini pitching staff has continued to elevate under McMahon’s guidance as they have posted sub 3.00 team ERAs in each of the last three seasons. In 2022, the pitching staff recorded a team ERA of 2.50—the lowest since 2010 while also breaking the single season strikeout record. The Illini recorded 428 strikeouts in the 2022 season breaking the previous record of 330 which has stood since 2001. Additionally, senior Sydney Sickels was named Second Team All Big Ten and All Midwest Region, while freshmen Lauren Wiles was selected on the All Big Ten Freshmen Team. The Illini also ranked in the top half of the Big Ten in almost every pitching statistical category including ERA (3^rd), saves (2^nd), strikeouts (2^nd), batting average against (2^nd) and shutouts (3^rd).  

In the summer of 2019, McMahon joined the Chicago Bandits professional softball organization and served as the pitching coach for the team affiliated with National Pro Fastpitch Softball (NPF). Chicago had one of the best seasons in team history winning the NPF regular season title, posting a 38-7 record while stringing together a pair of 14-game win streaks. McMahon, along with Head Coach Lauren Lappin and fellow assistant Amber Flores, earned the 2019 Coaching Staff of the Year awarded by the NPF.  

In his first season with the Illini (2017), McMahon helped guide Breanna Wonderly to NFCA All-Region First-Team and All-Big Ten First-Team accolades, while as a whole, the Illini staff registered a 2.97 team ERA in 2017.

McMahon joined the Illini following a three-year stint with the LSU softball program, where he worked under the tutelage of head coach Beth Torina. While in Baton Rouge, McMahon assisted in almost every aspect of the program, including camps, analyzing video, assisting with practice and throwing batting practice daily and was also responsible for logistics during travel.

As a Tiger, McMahon was involved in back-to-back NCAA Regional Softball Championships and two trips to the Women's College World Series. One of the many highlights during his tenure at LSU came in 2015, when the Tigers opened the year with 25-consecutive victories and spent three weeks as the No. 1 ranked team in the country, before ending the season with a 52-14 record and a third-place finish at the Women's College World Series. LSU's coaching staff was named the Division I South Region Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. 

Prior to joining the Tigers in January of 2014, McMahon served as the pitching coach for the Wichita Mustangs Softball Organization, where he managed the pitching staff throughout the summer competition and developed workouts to maximize performance.

McMahon graduated with a degree in sport management from Missouri in December 2013, where he served as a student manager and batting practice pitcher for three years. While at Mizzou, he was a part of one Big 12 championship squad, three-straight NCAA Regional Softball Championships and one trip to WCWS.

Along with his collegiate experience, McMahon also spent time as a volunteer assistant coach for the Knox County high school softball team from 2010 to 2014.

McMahon earned a masters degree in kinesiology from LSU in May of 2016.

Updated August 2022