Matt Vanderburg 2018

Matt Vanderburg


WT Head Coach Matt Vanderburg
Education
    • Northwestern Oklahoma State — 2003
        Bachelor’s degree in Health and Phys. Ed.
    • Emporia State — 2005
       Master’s of Health and Physical Education

Playing History
    • Northwestern Oklahoma State — Four-Time All-Conference selection and helped bring NWOSU into national spotlight.

Collegiate Head Coaching History
    • Clarendon College - 2006-2008 (3 years)
    • West Texas A&M - 2009-Present (16 years)
 
Vanderburg By-The-Numbers

2 – 40-Win Seasons at West Texas A&M

1 – NCBWA South Central Region Coach of the Year Award

3 – Lone Star Conference Regular Season Titles
(2015, 2018, 2021)

3 – Lone Star Conference Tournament Championships (2016, 2017, 2019)

12 – Lone Star Conference Tournament Appearances

9 – NCAA Tournament Appearances

12 – 30-Win Seasons at West Texas A&M

14 – All-Americans

53– All-Region honorees

91– All-Conference Selections

515– Victories at WT (Program Record)

614– Career Wins

Matt Vanderburg has built Buffalo Baseball into a regional and national contender as the Norman, Oklahoma native recently completed his 16th season in Canyon, registering an overall record of 515-287 (.642) as he has led the Buffs to three Lone Star Conference Championships (2015, 2018, 2021) along with nine trips to the NCAA Postseason. WT has registered 91 All-LSC honorees during that time with 53 All-Region players and 13 All-Americans.

The Buffs have registered 332 victories in LSC play under Vanderburg with three LSC Tournament Titles (2016, 2017, 2019) as WT has produced 12 seasons of at least 30 victories while reaching the 40-win mark on two occasions (2018, 2019). Buffalo Baseball has qualified for 12 LSC Tournaments and Vanderburg was named the 2018 NCBWA South Central Region Coach of the Year as WT hosted the first NCAA Regional Tournament in program history.

2024 saw the Buffaloes return to the NCAA Postseason for the ninth time in program history as they finished 37-19 overall with a 34-14 mark in the Lone Star Conference. The Buffs were ranked as high as third in the nation during the campaign, advancing to the South Central Regional Finals in Grand Junction, Colorado. Nine Buffs claimed all-conference honors with Kyle Micklus being named the LSC Newcomer of the Year, senior first baseman Dylan Fesperman picked up All-American honors by the NCBWA and D2CCA.

The 2023 Buffaloes finished the campaign 30-22 overall with a 28-20 mark in Lone Star Conference action to advance to the program's ninth LSC Tournament. Senior third baseman Adam Becker was tabbed the NCBWA and D2CCA South Central Region Player of the Year while picking up All-American honors.

2022 saw the Buffaloes advance to their eighth straight NCAA Division II Postseason, finishing the campaign with an overall record of 39-19. WT registered one of the best offensive performances in program history as they hit .333 as a team with 137 doubles, 13 triples and a school-record 75 homeruns to drive in 465 RBI with a slugging percentage of .532. Third baseman Adam Becker became the Lone Star Conference Player of the Year with 22 doubles and 22 long balls to drive in 92 RBI, claiming All-American honors along with teammate Ryan Johnson

The 2021 campaign saw the Buffaloes claim their third Lone Star Conference Championship with a 28-4 mark in league action as they advanced to a seventh straight NCAA Tournament, making an appearance in the program's first ever Regional Finals with an overall record of 34-9. 12 different Buffs picked-up All-LSC honors while Keone Givens, Mathieu Gauthier, Todd Danzeisen, Kennedy Badgett, Carter Brown and Cade Engle were named All-Region, Givens and Gauthier were also tabbed Honorable Mention NCBWA All-Americans for their efforts on the diamond.

2020 saw the Buffaloes start the season ranked 15th nationally as they held a 17-6 overall mark on March 12th when the remainder of the campaign was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Buffs finished their 2019 campaign with an overall record of 41-12 to set a new program record for victories in a single season, WT claimed their third Lone Star Conference Tournament Title in the last four years while making an appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Postseason for the sixth straight season. Joe Corbett was named the Division II National Pitcher of the Year by the D2CCA and NCBWA as the Edmond product became the fourth highest draft pick in LSC history when he was taken in the 10th Round (295th Overall) by the Texas Rangers. Corbett was tabbed an All-American along with fellow senior Kyle Kaufman. The Buffs finished the season with 566 strikeouts on the mound to set a new single-season Lone Star Conference record.
    
2018 saw the Buffs cap-off arguably the best season in program history with hosting duties for the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament at Wilder Park in Canyon. The Buffs reached the 40-win plateau for the first time in program history, finishing the season with a mark of 40-14 as they claimed their second Lone Star Conference Title with a league record of 20-4. Vanderburg and his staff were named the Lone Star Conference Coaching Staff of the Year while WT senior first baseman Luis Amaro became the third Buff in history to pick-up LSC Player of the Year accolades. Vanderburg was also named the NCBWA South Central Region Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.

In 2017, Vanderburg guided WT to its second-straight Lone Star Conference Tournament Title with a 3-0 record and a pair of wins over top-seeded Angelo State in San Angelo. WT went 36-18 overall and 13-9 in Lone Star Conference play while and earned the LSC's automatic berth in the program's fourth-straight NCAA South Central Regional.

The Buffs led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.0 as junior Marshall Kasowski led the nation in strikeouts with a school-record 165 and also led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings at 15.91 and hits allowed per nine innings at just 4.82. Kasowski was named South Central Region Pitcher of the Year and was a multiple All-American honoree, while getting drafted 400th overall in the 13th Round by the Los Angeles Dodgers as the highest Buff ever drafted. Teammate Joshua Payne was drafted in the 22nd Round by the New York Mets marking the first time two Buffs were drafted in the same season under Vanderburg.

In 2016, the Buffs finished 36-20 and won their first Lone Star Conference Tournament title earning the LSC's automatic berth in the NCAA South Central Regional.  Vanderburg had senior pitcher Austin Moore drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 26th round in the June draft.  Moore earned first team all-conference honors, all-tournament honors and was a two-time all-region selection in 2016.
    
In 2015, the Buffs went a school-best 23-12 in Lone Star Conference play and saw closer Paul Lujan earn multiple All-America honors as he was a NCBWA First Team All-American and Daktronics Honorable Mention. In Vanderburg’s tenure at WT, he has coached six All-Americans for the Buffs of the seventh in school history.
    
In 2014, he guided the Buffs to a school-record 37-21 record and a berth in the program’s first NCAA South Central Regional.  The Buffs went 2-2 in the regional with wins over Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Kingsville.  WT was 21-14 in Lone Star Conference play in 2014, earning the No. 2-seed in the LSC Championship and finished as the conference tournament runner-up which was first for the program.
    
The 2014 Buffs finished 15th nationally in batting average at a .325 clip and were third nationally in hits with 669.  WT finished 12th in runs (407), 26th in scoring (7.0), 15th in shutouts (7), 27th in slugging percentage (.444) second in triples (27) and 29th in doubles (100). James earned numerous all-America accolades during his two-year career with the Buffs.  James broke the school record for strikeouts in a season in 2013 and then topped it with 126 in 2014 ranking third nationally.  He averaged 11.57 strikeouts per game ranking 11th nationally in 2014 and had a 2.30 ERA.  James recorded a school-record 1.83 ERA in 2013 which ranked him 27th nationally and he was third nationally in hits allowed at just 5.74.  James signed a free-agent contract with the Houston Astros in 2014.
    
The 2013 season saw the Buffs narrowly miss the NCAA tournament with a 30-21 record and a 15-13 mark in conference play.  The Buffs finished 18th nationally in batting average at .330 and were 21st in fielding percentage at .969.  It was the second 30-win season for the Buffs under Vanderburg.
    
In 2012, Vanderburg led the Buffs to a 29-19 record and a fourth-place finish in the Lone Star Conference.  WT had the conference’s leading hitter in Justin Henderson who earned numerous postseason accolades as he was a first team all-conference selection and all-region. In addition, the pitching improved drastically in 2012 as the Buffs set the school-record for lowest ERA and lowest opponent batting, average, as well as the fewest walks per nine allowed.  2012 also brought the fewest hits and runs allowed.
    
Vanderburg’s third season saw the Buffs go 30-19 which is the fourth-best record in school history and 17-16 in conference play.
  
In his second season, the Buffs record a 23-20 overall mark with a seventh place finish in the Lone Star Conference. The season was shortened by continuous winter storms throughout the area that saw the Buffs lose 22 games due to cancellations. The Buffs hit .353 as a team with 85 doubles, 22 triples, 39 homers and 327 RBI for a slugging percentage of .522 with 56 stolen bases on 66 attempts.
    
During his first season at WT in 2009, Vanderburg led the Buffs to a 20-33 overall record with a 13-29 mark in the difficult Lone Star Conference. The Buffs won the first four games of the season which ranks as the best start to as season in program history to that point.

Vanderburg was introduced as just the fourth head coach of the Buffalo Baseball program on May 9, 2008.
    
In his final season at Clarendon Junior College in 2008, Vanderburg led the Bulldogs to a 40-16 overall record and a trip to the NJCAA playoffs. He joined the program during the summer of 2003 as the program’s recruiting coordinator and hitting coach. During the 2005 campaign, Vanderburg was an instrumental part of the record season for the bulldogs. With a 43-13 record and a first ever national ranking, the Bulldogs were put on the map. That same season Vanderburg’s hitters led the country in batting average (.374 team average).
    
In his second season as the assistant he helped guide them to another 30 win season and a third straight regional tournament appearance. Taking the reins of the program for the 2006 season, Vanderburg guided the Bulldogs to a 22-30 record, but began laying the grounds for winning seasons in each of the next two years. During the 2006 campaign, the Bulldogs finished third nationally with a .376 team batting average and then followed that up with a .361 average in 2007, finishing 10th nationally.
    
Vanderburg began his coaching career working for his former high school coach Shannon Enfield. He was the head coach of the Norman Majors American Legion team, a premier summer league team located in Oklahoma. He graduated from Norman North High School and during his prep playing career he set numerous hitting records, some of which still stand today. He helped pave the way for a very successful program that stands today.
    
Out of high school he signed a scholarship to play baseball under Coach Joe Phillips at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. During his collegiate career at Northwestern he was a four-time All-Conference performer and helped to bring Northwestern to the national spotlight. While at NWOSU, the Rangers climbed as high as seventh in the national polls in addition to setting a new school record for wins in a season with 49.

A native of Norman, Oklahoma, Vanderburg holds his Bachelor’s of Science in health and physical education from Northwestern Oklahoma State and a Master’s degree in health and physical education from Emporia State. He and his wife Kathryn are the parents of two children, Macy and Mattux.

Year
 School
Overall W-L
Conference Record
 Postseason
2006 Clarendon College 22-30 N/A
2007 Clarendon College 37-21 N/A NJCAA Playoffs
2008 Clarendon College 40-16 N/A NJCAA Playoffs
2009
 West Texas A&M
20-33
13-29
 None
2010
 West Texas A&M
23-20
17-18
 None
2011
 West Texas A&M
30-19
17-16
 None
2012
 West Texas A&M
29-19
16-12
 LSC Tournament
2013
 West Texas A&M
30-21
15-13
 LSC Tournament
2014
 West Texas A&M
37-21
21-14
 LSC Tournament, S.C. Regionals
2015
 West Texas A&M
36-20
23-12
 Co-LSC Champions, LSC Tournament, S.C. Regionals
2016 West Texas A&M 36-20 21-14 LSC Tournament Champions, S.C. Regionals
2017 West Texas A&M 36-18 13-9 LSC Tournament Champions, S.C. Regionals
2018 West Texas A&M 40-14 20-4 LSC Champions, LSC Tournament, S.C. Regional Host
2019 West Texas A&M 41-12 18-6 LSC Tournament Champions, S.C. Regionals
2020 West Texas A&M 17-6 17-6
2021 West Texas A&M 34-9 28-4 LSC Champions, S.C Regional Finals
2022 West Texas A&M 39-19 33-15 LSC Tournament, S.C. Regionals
2023 West Texas A&M 30-22 28-20 LSC Tournament
2024 West Texas A&M 37-19 34-14 LSC Tournament, S.C. Regional Finals
Career
515-287 (WT)
614-359 (Overall)
332-206
 3 Lone Star Conference Championships
10 LSC Tournament Appearances
9 NCAA Tournament Appearances