Derek Matlock has spent five seasons as an assistant coach for the Texas State baseball team, serving as the baseball program’s recruiting coordinator and pitching coach.
After joining the staff in 2008, Matlock helped lead Texas State to five straight winning seasons and four Southland Conference championships, including both 2011 SLC regular season and tournament championships, and two berths in the NCAA Regionals.
Matlock helped the 2011 Bobcats set a program record for team ERA (3.73) before guiding this year’s pitching staff to a 3.02 ERA to shatter the previous record. His pitching staff has also had two of the top three strikeout totals at Texas State, setting the program record in 2011 with 494 punch outs before recording 462 strikeouts this season, the third most in Bobcat history.
In 2012, Matlock’s pitching staff received national recognition after putting together 57 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings on the mound. The streak ended just 6 1/3 innings shy of the NCAA record of 64 innings set in 1972 by Arizona State and included wins over Houston, No. 18 TCU, Notre Dame and No. 4 Rice.
Matlock’s pitchers appear atop the Texas State record books in numerous categories for both single season and career records, amongst which are strikeouts, ERA, shutouts and saves.
During his tenure at Texas State, the Bobcats twice won 41 games in a season, the most wins in the program’s history.
Matlock mentored four straight Southland Conference Pitchers of the Year beginning in 2009 with Kane Holbrooks before Carson Smith earned the distinction in both 2010 and 2011. This season, Travis Ballew took home the league’s top pitching honor. Holbrooks, Smith and Ballew all also earned all-America honors for their work on the mound.
Under Matlock’s guidance, eight Bobcat pitchers have been selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, including Smith being chosen in the eighth round of the 2011 draft. Mike Hart was picked in the 19th round in Matlock’s first year with the program, and two Bobcats were chosen in 2009. Smith and Joseph Dvorsky (35th round) were picked in 2011 and three Texas State pitchers (Louis Head, 18th round; Colton Turner, 21st round; and Travis Ballew, 23rd round) were picked in 2012.
In addition to his work with the pitchers, Matlock has recruited some of the top classes in Texas State’s history. 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 came to Texas State from TCU, where he served as a volunteer assistant coach for two years when he helped the Horned Frogs win back-to-back Mountain West Conference championships and NCAA Regional Tournament appearances.
In the summer of 2005, Matlock was the manager of the Denton Outlaws, a member organization of the Texas Collegiate League. There, he became the second most successful coach in TCL history after leading his team to a 78-63 regular season record and two TCL championship appearances.
In 2005, the Outlaws claimed the TCL championship. Matlock was also named TCL Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2006.
Prior to his career with the Outlaws, Matlock served as a head coach in the high school ranks where he boasted a 251-67 overall record.
Matlock began his career as head coach at Eastern Hills (Ft. Worth) High School in 1995. He was named district coach of the year in 1997 and 1998, and he was also named the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram Coach of the Year in 1998.
In 1999, Matlock took on the challenge of creating a baseball program at Flower Mound High School. From 2002-04, the Jaguars were ranked among the nation’s top-25 baseball programs and made three straight playoff appearances.
In 2004, FMHS progressed to the Class 5A Championship Game and finished as state runners-up after being defeated by Corpus Christi Moody.
Matlock and his wife Michel have been married for 22 years and have three sons, 18-year old Dylan and 15-year old twins, Ryan and Brett. He and his family reside in Wimberley, Texas.
