Coach Matt Downs enters his 11th season leading the Spalding University baseball program. Since taking over in 2015, Downs has guided the Golden Eagles to a 271–133 record (.670 winning percentage), establishing Spalding as one of the premier Division III programs in the region. His tenure includes four 30-win seasons, a 2019 SLIAC Regular Season Championship, a 2023 SLIAC Tournament Championship, and a historic 2024 season in which Spalding captured both the SLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships while earning a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The program also claimed the University’s first NCAA Tournament win under his leadership.
Downs’ teams have produced seven All-Americans, six Academic All-Americans, 29 All-Region honorees, and 72 All-Conference selections, along with 88 Academic All-Conference recipients. His players have earned SLIAC Player or Pitcher of the Year honors seven times. A four-time SLIAC Coach of the Year (2017–2019, 2024), Downs has recorded milestone wins over nationally ranked opponents while building a culture defined by player development and academic excellence.
Before taking the helm, Downs served as Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Centre College and previously as Spalding’s pitching coach, where he helped the 2013 team to a then school-record 33 wins and top-20 national rankings in strikeouts.
A Louisville, Ky. native and Southern High School graduate, Downs was a four-year member of Spalding’s baseball team (2009–2012), culminating in a 2012 USCAA National Championship. He resides in Louisville, Ky. with his wife, Jenelle, and daughter, Maren.
