Matt Rein is in his first season on the NSU baseball coaching staff. He serves as the Spartans’ pitching coach.
Previously, Rein served four years as pitching coach at Radford University. In 2021, the Highlanders ranked second in the Big South in team ERA at 4.65. Radford walked fewer than 200 batters and struck out 354 for the year. His pitchers also helped limit the opponents’ running game, to the tune of just 20 steals in 54 attempts.
The 2020 season saw staff ace Brandon Donovan post a career-best season on the mound, ranking fourth in the Big South in strikeouts while decreasing his ERA by more than a full run. Ryan Bywaters also continued his progression, lowering his ERA to 2.29, the best among Radford's starting pitchers. The Highlander bullpen also showed signs of improvement, with Bruce Hudson leading the conference with four saves while lowering his ERA to 2.16. Hudson also limited opponents to just a .115 batting average. Austin Gerber also put together a career-best season with a 1.98 ERA, while opponents hit just .196 off him.
Rein lowered the staff ERA to a 4.69 in 2019, his second season on the staff. The staff tallied a 2.5:1 walk ratio. The pitching staff led Radford to its first 30-win season since 2015. Andrew Nardi and Zack Ridgely ranked inside the Big South’s top 10 in ERA for 2019. Nardi was fourth with a 3.60, while Ridgely was 10th with a 3.86. The duo also ended the year inside the top 10 in walks and earned runs allowed per game. Cameron Fritz had the eighth most wins of any Big South pitcher with a 6-2 record.
Rein led Radford’s pitching staff to a 4.84 ERA in 2018, ranking fifth in the Big South. The Highlander staff turned in a 4.75 ERA in conference action, while limiting Big South foes to a .247 clip. Radford was extremely hard on left-handed bats, holding opposing southpaws to a .239 batting average.
After leading the conference in wins, Austin Ross was named to the All-Big South First Team after finishing the 2018 campaign with a 9-4 record, ranking 30th nationally in wins. Ross struck out 69 in 68.2 innings, walking only 22 batters. Leading the squad with a 3.54 ERA, opposing teams only hit .233 off Ross.
Prior to his time at Radford, Rein spent two seasons as the pitching coach at Coker (S.C.). In his second season with the Cobras, two of Rein’s pitchers earned all-conference honors.
In his first season working with the Coker pitching staff, Rein helped guide the Cobras to a 28-20 overall record, a 12-12 mark in South Atlantic Conference play and a trip to the South Atlantic Conference tournament. The Cobras saw the benefits of Rein as the staff lowered its team ERA from 8.00 to 5.59 in his first season.
Rein arrived at Coker after a two-year stint at Longwood, where he guided a Lancer pitching staff that posted notched 440 strikeouts in 2015.
Prior to coaching at Longwood, Rein spent time in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system as a member of the Johnson City Cardinals and Batavia Muckdogs. He made 15 appearances on the mound in 2011 for Johnson City, compiling a 2-1 record with a 3.60 ERA. He hurled 26 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched, while allowing 23 hits for a .284 average.
Rein also spent a summer pitching for the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League. He made 20 appearances, including 18 starts, throwing 121.1 innings with a 2.36 ERA.
Rein was a four-year standout at Coastal Carolina. In 2011, he was named an American Baseball Coaches' Association (ABCA) All-American after earning Big South Pitcher of the Year accolades. He was also a two-time All-Big South First Team selection, totaling 21 career wins with a 2.99 career ERA for the Chanticleers.
A native of Houston, Texas, he received his bachelor's degree from Coastal Carolina in May 2013.
