The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics hired
Derek Matlock, who spent the previous five years as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at West Virginia and the 19 years prior coaching in Texas, as the new head coach of the UTRGV baseball team on June 10, 2017.
2025: Won Southland Conference Championship … Led team to program record RPI of 43, ranking No. 1 from March 9-13 and in the top 25 from March 2-April 3 … Had team receiving in NCBWA poll during weeks 4-15 and the
USA Today Coaches Poll weeks 4-6, effectively ranking 44
th in week 4, 43
rd in week 5 and 39
th in week 6 …Ranked as high as 14
th in 11.7 College Baseball’s mid-major power rankings … Went 36-18, the team’s most wins since 1991 (37) and highest winning percentage (.667) since 1987 (.667) … Won program record-tying 15 true road games and program record 16 games away from home, including win over No. 20 Dallas Baptist at Globe Life Field … Did this with a program record strength of schedule of 83, including 67 in non-conference play to finish 33
rd in non-conference RPI … Won program record 22 conference games while tying program record for conference winning percentage (.733) previously set in 1979 in a Southland Conference that ranked ninth in conference RPI. This included winning a program record-tying 10 conference road games … Coached seven players to Southland-high 13 All-Conference honors, including Player of the Year and designated hitter
Armani Raygoza and Newcomer of the Year and starting pitcher
Víctor Loa. Both were first team selections along with catcher
Steven Lancia and third baseman
Easton Moomau. Shortstop
Isaac Lopez, first baseman
Jacob Sanchez, and second baseman
Thomas Williams all earned second team honors while Lancia, Lopez, Moomau, and Williams were on the all-defensive team … Developed Lancia (Buster Posey Award), Lopez (Brooks Wallace Award), and Raygoza (Dick Howser Trophy) into semifinalists for major award while helping Loa make the national Pitcher of the Year watch list, making UTRGV one of just three teams in the NCAA to achieve such a feat, along with Georgia Tech and North Carolina … Led team to pair of seven game winning streaks and 10 wins in final 13 games … Hosted Southland Conference Tournament bracket play as No. 2 seed during first year in conference … UTRGV ranked among the top 100 in the nation in 15 categories, ranking 18
th in fielding percentage (.979), 20
th in double plays per game (0.87), 22
nd in double plays (47), 29
th in hitting (.307), 33
rd in shutouts (4), 40
th in winning percentage (.667), 42
nd in on-base percentage (.411), 46
th in scoring (8.0), 55
th in sacrifice flies (28), 61
st in runs scored (431) and hits (564), 65
th in ERA (4.92), 84
th in hits allowed per nine innings (9.17), 87
th in walks (273), and 89
th in WHIP (1.51) … Led the Southland in hitting (.307), scoring (8.0), and fielding (.979) … The .979 fielding percentage is the best in program history. UTRGV rewrote the record books in seven other categories as well, tying for third in saves (13), ranking fourth in runs scored (431) and RBI (390), fifth in hitting (.307) and strikeouts (439), and sixth in home runs (57) and doubles (99) … Guided team to 16-3 start, tied for the fifth-best in program history and best since 1979 … Led team to 9-0 start in conference play, the longest undefeated conference start in program history, breaking the record of 8-0 set in 2012 … Won first five conference road games for first time in program history.
2024: Coached team to fifth-straight full season of 29+ wins despite missing out on four games due to rain outs … Won 17 home games for fifth-straight full season … Reached double-figures in road wins (10) for third-straight season … Won two WAC Tournaments games, the second most in program history … Led team to first win over (RV) Texas since 1971, breaking a 48-game losing streak which included 44 true road games, 39 of which were at UFCU Disch Falk-Field. UTRGV won 17-9 (4/16), setting program records for most runs scored and margin of victory against Texas … Win over Texas was one of two against teams receiving votes in national polls along with victory over (RV) Austin Peay (3/2) … Team ranked 14
th in NCAA and first in WAC in double plays per game (0.94), 16
th in NCAA and second in WAC in double plays (51), 24
th in NCAA and fourth in WAC in shutouts (four), 49
th in NCAA and second in WAC in sacrifice flies (30), 62
nd in NCAA and fourth in WAC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.19), 72
nd in NCAA and third in WAC in strikeouts per nine innings (9.1), 72
nd in NCAA and fourth in WAC in walks allowed per nine innings (4.14), and 75
th in NCAA and third in WAC in fielding percentage (.975) … Coached catcher
Steven Lancia and starting pitcher
Zach Tjelmeland to All-WAC Second Team honors while shortstop
Kade York earned WAC All-Defensive Second Team honors.
2023: Coached team to fourth-straight 30+ win season is a full season, winning 30 games. This is the first time the program has had four-straight 30+ win seasons since 1983-88 … Led team to 11-10 record on the road, making this the first time UTRGV has posted a winning record on the road since 2000 (8-7-1) … UTRGV finished WAC play with a 9-6 road record, marking the second-straight season in which UTRGV has had a winning road record in WAC play … UTRGV won four-straight games by 10+ run May 18-23 for the first time in program history after previously doing so in three-straight games six times … Coached offense to 68 home runs, tied for the second-highest total in program history, and 365 RBI, the fifth-most in program history … Guided
Brandon Pimentel to All-WAC First Team and WAC All-Defensive Team honors,
Angelo Cabral to All-WAC Second Team honors, and
Issac Lopez to WAC All-Defensive Team honors … Had four players named national player of the week, including Pimentel (twice), Cabral and
Colten Davis … Starting rotation had three of the top eight ERAs in the WAC, with Cabral leading the way at 3.22,
Jesus Aldaz ranking seventh at 3.99, and Davis finishing eighth at 4.04 … Among the best in the NCAA in turning double plays, ranking 15
th in total DPs (51) and 17
th in DPs per game (0.91), ranking second in the WAC in both … Also piled up the strikeouts, as UTRGV pitching led the WAC and ranked 33
rd in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings (9.8), and second in the WAC and 47
th in the NCAA in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.31).
2022: Coached team to third-straight 30+ win season is a full season, winning 32 games. This is the first time the program has had three-straight 30+ win seasons since 1983-88 … Led team to 8-7 record in WAC road games, marking the first time UTRGV has ever posted a winning record on the road in WAC play. The last time UTRGV had a winning record in conference road games was 1997, when the team went 10-3 in Sun Belt Conference road games during Hall of Famer Al Ogletree’s final season as head coach … Guided team to 12 total road wins, the program’s highest total since 2006 (15) … Coached pitchers to program record 485 strikeouts and 12 saves, tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in program history … Helped hitters finished with 63 home runs and 101 doubles, the third and fifth-highest single-season totals in program history … Led team to 23-run outburst vs. GW (2/23), tied for the fifth-highest single-game total in program history. UTRGV had 23 RBI in that game, which ranks third in program history … Coached team to program record eight doubles as part of 26-hit performance, which ranks second in program history, at Sam Houston (4/3) … Coached program record-tying six home runs performance for second-straight season, this time at UTSA (5/3) … Guided
Kevin Stevens to All-WAC First Team honors,
Brett Cain and
Brandon Pimentel to All-WAC Second Team honors, and
Isaac Lopez to WAC All-Defensive Team honors … Stevens also earned All-WAC Tournament Team recognition … Pimentel earned National Player of the Week honors (3/7) and was part of the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Midseason Watch List.
2021: Coached team to WAC Tournament Championship Series for first time in program history … Team earned first WAC Tournament wins, going 3-2 … Last of those wins was 100
th of Matlock’s career, a 10-0 upset of #2 seed Sacramento State (5/29) … Finished season with 32-26 record, including a program record 20 WAC wins (20-15) … Team received votes in two National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) polls twice (Feb. 22 and March 8) … Took two out of three from Baylor, marking the program’s first series victory over a Big 12 opponent since 2000 … Earned three wins against Power 5 competition (two vs. Baylor and one at Washington) … Team hit 50 home runs, the fifth-highest single-season total in program history … Coached seven student-athletes to All-WAC honors –
Andy Atwood,
Kevin Stevens,
Coleman Grubbs,
Jacob Hirsh,
Freddy Rojas Jr.,
RJ Ochoa and
Christian Sepulveda … Atwood, Grubbs and Sepulveda also earned All-WAC Tournament Team honors … Atwood hit 10 home runs, tying for what was then the ninth-highest single-season total in program history … Rojas earned back-to-back National Player of the Week honors (March 22 and 29) after hitting home runs in six-consecutive game, two shy of the NCAA record … Stevens also earned a National Player of the Week award … Helped Ricky Gerik Jr. lead the NCAA in fewest innings pitched per win, averaging a win every 2.86 innings … Coached
Conrado Diaz to Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Watch List for second-straight season.
2020: Ended the season on an eight-game winning streak with an 11-7 record … Went 10-3 at home while averaging 1,087 fans per game, the program’s best mark in more than a decade … Beat Kansas State twice to open the season while also earning an 11-inning road win at Houston … UTRGV was one of just three teams in the NCAA to turn a triple play … UTRGV ranked 12
th in the nation in shutouts (three), 40
th in walks drawn (85), 44
th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.4), 58
th in hits (155) and double plays turned (12), 63
rd in doubles (31) and sacrifice flies (eight), 64
th in runs scored (108), and 66
th in on-base percentage (.385).
2019: Earned WAC Coach if the Year honors … In just his second season at the helm, Matlock led the program to a share of its first WAC Championship, first NCAA Division I conference championship and first since 1955 by going a program-best 19-8 in WAC play … Overall, UTRGV went 34-21, marking the program’s winningest season since 1991 (37-21). Matlock guided the team to an 11-win (47.8 percent) improvement overall and an 11-win (137.5 percent) improvement in WAC play.
2018: Tied program record for best start by a first-year head coach by going 4-0 … Led team to first-ever road win over a Pac-12 opponent by knocking off eventual NCAA Super Regional participant Washington … Also beat NCAA Tournament participant and WAC Tournament Champion New Mexico State … Went 15-15 against non-conference schedule that included College World Series participants Washington, Texas, Texas Tech, Mississippi State … Coached UTRGV to the No. 3 ranking in the WAC in pitching with a 4.67 team ERA, and the No. 4 ranking in fielding percentage at .972 … UTRGV also turned 56 double plays, the 14
th-highest total in the NCAA, for an average of 1.04 per game, the sixth-highest total.
West Virginia is coming off its first NCAA Regional berth in 21 years after earning the first at-large bid in program history by going 36-26. In Matlock’s five seasons, West Virginia went 160-127 (.557) and made the Big 12 Tournament every year. Matlock recruited and coached five All-Americans and had six pitchers drafted, including three in the top 15 rounds of the MLB Draft. One of those pitchers was 2013 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and Louisville Slugger All-American
Harrison Musgrave, who is currently pitching at AAA Albuquerque after being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
Matlock went to West Virginia after five years as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at Texas State, a program he helped to four-straight Southland Conference Championships, marking the first conference championships in program history, and two NCAA Regional berths. Overall, Texas State went 219-136 (.617) during Matlock’s tenure, twice winning a program record 41 games. He recruited five All-Americans to Texas State and developed three Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year honorees. Matlock also had eight pitchers selected in the MLB Draft.
Matlock’s 2012 pitching staff put together a streak of 57.2 consecutive scoreless innings, just 6.1 short of the NCAA record, en route to a program record 3.02 ERA.
One of Matlock’s top recruits at Texas State was St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and six-time All-Star
Paul Goldschmidt.
Matlock joined Texas State after three seasons as the volunteer assistant coach at TCU, during which time he worked with the pitchers and catchers. TCU went 80-43 during those two seasons, winning back-to-back conference championships and advancing to the NCAA Regionals. Matlock coached two players who went on to be selected in the top two rounds of the MLB Draft, including
Lance Broadway, who was the 15
th overall pick and went on to pitch for the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. Matlock also coached 2016 NL Cy Young Award winner and 2015 All-Star
Jake Arrieta, who led the Chicago Cubs the its first World Series Championship in 108 years in 2016, and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and three-time All-Star
Matt Carpenter.
Matlock gained his first experience in collegiate baseball as manager of the Denton Outlaws of the Texas Collegiate League (TCL) from 2004-07. He finished as the second most successful coach in league history by going 78-63 (.553), winning the 2005 TCL Championship, and earning TCL Coach of the Year honors in 2005 and 2006. He also had the opportunity to coach 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner and 2016 All-Star
Corey Kluber, who led the Cleveland Indians to the World Series that season.
Matlock began his coaching career as the assistant coach at Eastern Hills High School in Fort Worth in 1994 before being elevated to head coach in 1996. Matlock took over a great program and made it better, added a locker room, so that kids were not changing in the parking lot and also with the help of the district played District games at home for the first time. He won back-to-back district championships en route to ranking in the top 10 in the state. Matlock earned District Coach of the Year honors in 1996 and 1997 and
Fort Worth Star-Telegram Coach of the Year honors in 1998.
Matlock then became the head coach at Flower Mound High School from 2000-04, starting a brand new baseball program and ranking in the top five in the nation by his third season. The 2003 squad finished in the top four in the state while the 2004 team finished second.
During his nine seasons as a high school head coach, Matlock went 251-67 (.789).
Matlock earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Studies from UT Arlington in 1992 and his Master of Education from Texas Wesleyan in 2000.
Originally from Fort Worth, Matlock and his wife, Michel, have three sons, Dylan, and twins Ryan and Brett.
Year-by-Year Collegiate Results
|
|
|
Overall |
|
Conference |
| Year |
School |
Position |
W |
L |
Pct. |
W |
L |
Pct. |
| 2005 |
TCU |
Volunteer Assistant Coach |
41 |
20 |
.672 |
20 |
10 |
.667 |
| 2006 |
TCU |
Volunteer Assistant Coach |
39 |
23 |
.629 |
17 |
5 |
.773 |
| 2007 |
Texas State |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
37 |
23 |
.617 |
20 |
10 |
.667 |
| 2008 |
Texas State |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
30 |
27 |
.526 |
19 |
11 |
.633 |
| 2009 |
Texas State |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
41 |
17 |
.707 |
24 |
7 |
.774 |
| 2010 |
Texas State |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
38 |
22 |
.633 |
23 |
10 |
.697 |
| 2011 |
Texas State |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
41 |
23 |
.641 |
24 |
9 |
.727 |
| 2012 |
Texas State |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
32 |
24 |
.571 |
19 |
14 |
.576 |
| 2013 |
West Virginia |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
33 |
26 |
.559 |
13 |
11 |
.542 |
| 2014 |
West Virginia |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
28 |
26 |
.519 |
9 |
14 |
.391 |
| 2015 |
West Virginia |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
27 |
27 |
.500 |
9 |
13 |
.409 |
| 2016 |
West Virginia |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
36 |
22 |
.621 |
12 |
11 |
.522 |
| 2017 |
West Virginia |
Recruiting Coordinator/Pitching Coach |
36 |
26 |
.581 |
12 |
12 |
.500 |
| 2018 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
23 |
31 |
.426 |
8 |
16 |
.333 |
| 2019 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
34 |
21 |
.618 |
19 |
8 |
.704 |
| 2020 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
11 |
7 |
.611 |
|
|
|
| 2021 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
32 |
26 |
.552 |
20 |
15 |
.571 |
| 2022 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
33 |
25 |
.569 |
17 |
13 |
.567 |
| 2023 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
30 |
26 |
.536 |
15 |
14 |
.517 |
| 2024 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
29 |
25 |
.537 |
15 |
15 |
.500 |
| 2025 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
36 |
18 |
.667 |
22 |
8 |
.733 |
|
UTRGV |
|
228 |
179 |
.560 |
116 |
89 |
.566 |
|
Total |
|
687 |
485 |
.586 |
384 |
265 |
.592 |
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT DEREK MATLOCK
Paul Goldschmidt, New York Yankees First Baseman/Former Texas State Student-Athlete (2007-09)
Coach Matlock is a great coach and person. I learned a lot playing under him as we won a championship. I congratulate him on the next step in his coaching career and will always root for his teams. I know they will follow Coach Matlock’s intensity and play the game hard and with passion.
Matt Carpenter, Former St. Louis Cardinals (2011-21, 2024), New York Yankees (2022), and San Diego Padres (2023) Infielder/Former TCU Student-Athlete (2005-09)
Derek Matlock is one of the best baseball guys I have ever had the chance to be around. He has a unique gift to get the most out of his players on and off the field. He brings a passion and work ethic to his job that rubs off on everyone he comes in contact with.
Donnie Hart, Former Baltimore Orioles (2016-18), Milwaukee Brewers (2019), and New York Mets (2019) Relief Pitcher/Former Texas State Student-Athlete (2010-13)
Coach Matlock has a great passion for baseball and teaching young men about baseball and life. He played a very important role in my life on and off the field as a player at Texas State. The drive and desire he puts forth every day for his student-athletes is hard to find. He brings a level of energy to the field every day that is hard to match but expected to be followed by the players. Coach Matlock never stopped helping anyone no matter how full his plate may have been. A family man with a big heart, Coach Matlock is a great person to have in charge of developing young men into grown men and great baseball players.
Oliver Luck, Former NCAA Executive Vice President of Regulatory Affairs/Former West Virginia Athletic Director
Hiring Derek Matlock is a great decision. He’s a coach who’s going to do a marvelous job. The kids are going to love him. He knows Texas like the back of his hand. He’s a really energetic recruiter. This is another really good decision all around for UTRGV.
Randy Mazey, Former West Virginia Baseball Head Coach
Derek did an outstanding job for us. He has great energy, great excitement, and great enthusiasm. He is a tremendous pitching coach. I think he’ll do an outstanding job trying to lead that program. I’m extremely happy for him and wish him all the best. I know he’ll do well.
Ty Harrington, Former Texas State Baseball Head Coach
Coach Matlock is an incredibly committed worker who loves baseball. He is a relentless recruiter and has always won wherever he has been.
Jim Schlossnagle, Texas Baseball Head Coach/Former TCU Baseball Head Coach
Derek is an outstanding coach. He has had success at all levels of amateur baseball. Derek is a relentless worker, has incredible positive energy, and has the skills to develop talent at a high level. I have no doubt that UTRGV will be competing at a very high level soon and that Derek will quickly build an all-encompassing program.
