As a player and coach, the upcoming 2021 Spring season will be Steve Moga’s 28th overall at the collegiate level. Over 27 years he has been in the winning dugout 726 times, and been part of 11 conference champions, 14 regional appearances, 10 regional titles games, five regional championships, five World Series and three top-4 finishes nationally. Moga has been part of Aurora University’s coaching staff since the fall of 2014, his second go around with the Spartans. He has worked with AU’s pitchers and outfielders, along with serving as first base coach and bench coach during the last six seasons. Moga has been a part of the program’s resurgence, helping AU win the NACC Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Regionals in 2018 and 2019, and a top-20 national ranking in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season.

Born and raised in Aurora, Moga graduated from nearby Hinckley-Big Rock High School in 1984. As a walk-on, the right-handed hurler earned Waubonsee Community College’s Most Improved Award in 1986 before transferring to AU. As a junior Moga helped the Spartans reach the Midwest Regional title game by tossing a complete game shutout to eliminate top-ranked and defending national champion, Marietta (Ohio) College. He also earned a save the day before and was named to the All-Tournament team as 9th ranked AU finished 31-10 overall. His senior season he was named AU’s Male Athlete of the Year after earning the Spartans’ and NIIC Most Valuable Player awards, helping the Spartans grab their fifth consecutive NIIC title.

Moga earned a Communications degree from AU in 1989 and worked in the corporate video industry for 12 years. He also served as pitching coach for AU from 1990 through 1993, helping the Spartans extend their run as NICC Champions to 10 straight seasons. AU was nationally ranked all four years, played in the Midwest Regional each season and advanced to the NCAA Division III World Series twice during that time, finishing as the National Runner-up in 1990. The 1993 pitching staff led the nation in lowest earned run average (2.09), set two other AU records that still stand and had two pitchers signed professionally.

After an eight-year hiatus Moga returned to Waubonsee serving as the Chiefs’ pitching coach from 2002 through 2014, helping 33 hurlers move on to four-year programs. Four of his pitchers earned NJCAA All-American honors, while 10 were chosen All-Region First Team and All-ISCC First Team, including three Pitchers of the Year. During his time in the Chiefs’ dugout Waubonsee captured three ISCC titles, reached the Region title game eight times, won the Region IV title three times, and made three trips to the NJCAA Division III World Series finishing seventh (2010), third (2013) and fourth (2014).

Moga has worked as a freelance announcer covering Chicago area prep and collegiate sports, along with the Kane County Cougars minor-league professional baseball. The last 18 years he has worked as Waubonsee’s Sports Information Specialist and continues to play competitive baseball in the Chicago Central MSBL, helping the Aurora Tigers win three league titles. He has also served on the Board of Directors for Joy in the Harvest Ministries based in Tanzania, Africa since 2001, and has made five trips to that part of the world. Moga and his wife Pam reside in Oswego and have a son, Joshua, who is a junior at Purdue University in Indiana.