WEST POINT, N.Y. – Matt Reid, who held the position of interim head baseball coach this past season, has been selected as Army’s new head baseball coach, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Boo Corrigan announced today. Reid becomes the 17th head coach in the program’s 124 year history.
“After an exhaustive national search, the search committee and I realized we had the best candidate for our job right here at Army West Point,” said Corrigan. “Matt has demonstrated outstanding leadership this past season and continues to put his stamp on the program. As we looked over the very attractive pool, Matt’s commitment to the values and standards of West Point made him the ideal candidate. We could not be more excited for Matt, our cadets and the members of the Army Baseball Family.”
As the interim head coach in 2014, Reid led Army to a 33-19 overall record, including a 15-5 mark in the Patriot League and a share of the regular-season crown.
“I want to thank Boo Corrigan and the search committee for their support and confidence in me to lead the Army baseball program,” Reid stated. “It is an honor to represent the preeminent leadership institution in the world and I am excited to continue coaching this tremendous group of cadet-athletes.”
Reid coached six all-league honorees in 2014, led by a pair of first-team picks in seniors Gunnar Carroll and Nick Dignacco. Following the season, Dignacco was selected in the 40th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Texas Rangers. Senior catcher Connor Love and junior outfielder Daniel Cortes also claimed accolades for their academic achievements by being selected to the Academic All-Patriot League Baseball Team.
Prior to being named the interim head coach on Sept. 24, 2013, Reid served as an Army assistant coach since the summer of 2007. He was promoted to the top assistant position in 2010 before earning the title of associate head coach at the start of the 2011 season. On the field he worked primarily with Army’s infielders and hitters, while also focusing his attention on national recruiting with an emphasis placed on the East Coast.
Since Reid arrived on the banks of the Hudson, Army established a single season school record for fielding percentage in 2009 (.970) after narrowly missing the mark the previous year. The Black Knights then obliterated that record with a .975 fielding percentage in 2012 to rank 32nd nationally.
Three of the Black Knights’ starting four infielders earned All-Patriot League honors three years in a row (2009-11), including Clint Moore, who garnered All-America laurels in 2009. Moore and fellow infielders Zach Price and Harold Earls have been named Patriot League Rookie of the Year during Reid’s tenure at the Academy. In 2011, three Army infielders were named to the All-Patriot League first team with Steve May joining Moore and Price on the unit.
In 2013, Price was named to the All-Patriot League First Team, while Earls collected the conference’s Rookie of the Year award. Earls was also tabbed a Freshman All-American following his standout rookie campaign that saw him finish with a .331 batting average. Price, who was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American (first team), became the first Army player to earn a Rawlings Gold Glove after the second baseman recorded a sparkling .996 fielding percentage.
The Black Knights have taken well to Reid’s offensive teachings as well, and established school records for batting average (.329), base hits (626), doubles (117), triples (18), home runs (57), runs scored (446), runs batted in (408), total bases (950) and slugging percentage (.500) in 2009. It marked the second-straight season that Army set school records for doubles and home runs.
Before coming to West Point, Reid spent two years on the baseball coaching staff at UNC Asheville. Reid focused his work on the club’s infielders and hitters, while assisting with recruiting duties.
In that time, he helped the Bulldogs increase their fielding percentage from .943 to .958. Additionally, UNC Asheville turned a Big South Conference-leading 59 double plays in his last season to rank 34th nationally.
Prior to his arrival at Asheville, Reid served as assistant coach at Old Dominion University where he worked with the Monarchs’ outfielders and hitters. He assumed duties as baseball camp director at ODU, and filled the same role at UNC Asheville.
The 2001 graduate of the University of Richmond lettered all four years on the baseball diamond for the Spiders. Reid assisted the staff at Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2004 season, while completing his master’s degree in sport leadership. His experience with organizing fundraisers for non-profit ventures while at VCU included raising money for an area cancer center. Prior to his studies at VCU, Reid served as assistant coach at Louisburg College where his responsibilities with the baseball team included working with the squad’s infielders and coaching first base. He began his coaching career at Virginia Military Institute.
In addition to his collegiate coaching background, Reid gained extensive experience during the summer months, guiding the Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plains League for two years. He led the Pilots to a 34-20 record (.630) and an appearance in the league championship in his first season and finished with a two-year mark of 58-38 (.604) at the Peninsula helm.
A native of Amherst, Mass., Reid was selected team captain during his senior year at Richmond and helped the Spiders to a pair of NCAA Regional berths. He graduated with a degree in sports administration.
Reid, whose father Jim is a member of the University of Iowa football coaching staff after serving as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins and as head football coach at VMI for two years, interned with the front office of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the summer of 2004. He also worked in Richmond’s sports information office as a senior.
Reid will reside at West Point.
