Justin Mitchell joined the Lobo Family in August of 2023 and he serves as assistant coach. He coaches UNM’s catchers as well as hitting for head coach Tod Brown.
In Mitchell’s second season as the Lobos’ hitting coach, UNM ranked among the best offensive teams in the nation, matching a program record with 93 home runs and ranking No. 1 in the nation (NCAA D-I) upon the conclusion of the regular season in:
- Team Batting Average (.339)
- Total Doubles (148)
- Doubles Per Game (2.85)
UNM also ranked among the Top 20 in the nation in:
- Batting Average (2nd, 0.337)
- Home Runs Per Game (16th, 1.75)
- Doubles Per Game (1st, 2.79)
- Slugging Percentage (3rd, 0.574)
- On Base Percentage (14th, 0.425)
- Scoring (7th, 9.2)
The Lobos led the league in batting average and on-base percentage for a third season in a row – something UNM had only done once prior from 2012-2014.
Along with the single-season record in homers, UNM’s 2025 offense ranked among the Top 10 single-season statistical performances in program history in RBI (#6), OBP (#6), Slugging (#2), Total Bases (#6) and Doubles (#9).
In his first season as UNM’s hitting coach, the Lobos wrapped up the regular season as the MW’s statistical leaders in batting average (.323), slugging % (.521) and on-base % (.426) as well as runs (448), hits (588), RBI (415), total bases (947) and walks (285). They ranked No. 8 in the nation in average at the conclusion of the season.
Mitchell spent the 2023 season as a graduate assistant coach at K-State under Pete Hughes. The 2023 Wildcats went 35-24 and advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship. His G.A. stint came after he played one season at K-State, hitting .308 with five homers and 22 RBIs over 52 games, playing catcher as a grad transfer. Mitchell played four seasons at Oklahoma, where he graduated. Over his time he played in 116 games, hitting .261 with two homers and 38 RBIs. He recorded 991 career putouts as a catcher.
He graduated from Oklahoma in 2022.