With eight years of collegiate coaching experience to his name, Derek Matlock joined the WVU baseball staff in 2012 as an assistant coach.

Matlock comes to Morgantown from Texas State University, formally Southwest Texas State, where he has served as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach since 2007.

Since Matlock’s first season in 2008, Texas State had put together five straight winning seasons, including a 32-24 mark in 2012. The Bobcats won four Southland Conference championships, including the 2011 SLC regular season and tournament championships, and earned two berths to NCAA Regional Tournaments (2009 and 2011). Additionally, the Bobcats twice won a program-best 41 games in one season during Matlock’s time at Texas State.

In total, Matlock recruited five All-Americans while with the Bobcats, including pitchers Kane Holbrooks, Carson Smith and Travis Ballew. All three also earned the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year honors, with Holbrooks winning in 2009, Smith in 2010 and 2011, and Ballew in 2012.

A highly respected pitching coach, eight Bobcat pitchers were selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft under Matlock’s watch. Smith was chosen in the eighth round of the 2011 draft, the highest-selected pitcher under Matlock. Most recently, three pitchers were picked in 2012.

A tireless recruiter, Matlock’s classes were ranked high in Texas State annals. Among his most prized recruits were Tyler Sibley (2009 Freshman All-American), Kyle Kubitza (3rd round draft selection in 2011), Carson Smith (two-time Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year), Casey Kalenkosky (2011 All-American) and Jeff McVaney (8th round draft selection in 2012).

Matlock’s pitching staff earned high praise in 2012, as it put together 57.2 consecutive scoreless innings on the mound, just 6.1 innings short of the NCAA record of 64 innings. Included in the streak were wins over Houston, No. 18 TCU, Notre Dame and No. 4 Rice.

The 2012 Bobcat squad set a program record for team ERA (3.02), besting the previous mark of 3.73 set in 2011. Matlock’s pitching staff also set two of the top three strikeout totals at Texas State, setting the program record in 2011 with 494 punchouts before recording 462 strikeouts in 2012, the third-best program mark. In total, his pitchers own the team’s top ranking in numerous categories for both single season and career records, including strikeouts, ERA, shutouts and saves.

Matlock came to Texas State from TCU, where he served as a volunteer assistant coach for two seasons (2005-07). While there, the Horned Frogs won back-to-back Mountain West Conference championships and made the NCAA Regional Tournament.

Matlock spent two memorable summers as manager of the Denton Outlaws, a member organization of the Texas Collegiate League. He became the second-most successful coach in TCL history after leading the squad to a 78-63 regular-season record and two TCL championship appearances. The Outlaws won the TCL championship in 2005, and Matlock was named the TCL Coach of the Year both seasons.

Before moving to the collegiate coaching ranks, Matlock was the head coach at Flower Mound High in Flower Mound, Texas. After starting the school’s baseball program in 1999, he led the Jaguars to national top 25 rankings from 2002-04 and three straight playoff appearances. The 2004 squad finished second in the state after falling to Corpus Christi Moody in the Class 5A Championship Game.

Matlock began his career as the head coach at Eastern Hills (Ft. Worth) High School in 1995. He was named the district coach of the year in 1997 and 1998, and he also was named Ft. Worth Star-Telegram Coach of the Year in 1998.

Matlock owns a 251-67 overall record as a high school baseball head coach.

Matlock and his wife, Michel, have been married for 22 years and have three sons, 19-year old Dylan and 16-year old twins, Ryan and Brett.

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