Foster Adds Kinney to Baseball Staff

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Head baseball coach Jim Foster has announced the addition of Matthew Kinney to his staff for the 2022 season. Kinney will serve as the Army West Point baseball team's assistant coach and will oversee the pitchers.

"Coach Matthew Kinney is going to be a great addition to our staff as we continue to build on our success as a program and work to take it to another level," head coach Jim Foster said. "He is going to recruit and develop our players at a high level and is a great human being who will be a very good example for our cadet-athletes. We are very excited to have him and his fiancé Allyson here and welcome them to the Army baseball family. I look forward to working with them both."

Kinney joins the Black Knights after a four-year stint as the pitching coach at Southeast Missouri. In his most recent season with the Redhawks, Kinney was part of a team that won both the OVC Regular Season and Conference titles and advanced to the Oxford Regional. As a pitching staff, the 2021 Redhawks led the league in saves, ground ball percentage and fewest walks allowed. Additionally, the team was third in the league in strikeouts/9 inn.

To go along with the overall success of his pitching staff, Kinney mentored OVC Pitcher of the Year Dylan Dodd in his final year in Cape Girardeau. The southpaw led the conference in innings pitched, strikeouts, wins and games started and checked in at second in ERA. Dodd earned Second Team All-America honors and went on to earn the highest draft pick in program history when he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft.

Kinney also helped develop catcher Wade Stauss, who signed a free agent deal with the St. Louis Cardinals this year, and the freshman duo of Kyle Miler and Collin Wilma, who landed on the All-OVC Freshman Team. He was involved in each recruiting class during his stint at Southeast Missouri and served as the recruiting coordinator in his last season.

Prior to his gig at Southeast Missouri, Kinney made a coaching stop at the prestigious Cape Cod League. After playing for the Cotuit Kettleers in 2015, he joined the staff for the 2016 season.

Before getting his start in coaching, Kinney enjoyed a successful baseball career as a player. He played his first few collegiate seasons at Belmont, which were highlighted by a 2015 campaign that saw the left-handed pitcher strike out 62 and post a 1.80 ERA. After earning a bachelor's in finance in 2015, Kinney graduate-transferred to national powerhouse Florida State. As a Seminole, he went 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA and helped the team secure an NCAA Super Regional Berth. Additionally, he was named to the Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year List and earned a master's degree in sport management.

"I want to thank Coach Foster and his family for giving my fiancé and I the privilege of joining the Army Baseball Family," Kinney said. "We are excited to get to work and are looking forward to building upon the Army baseball program's tradition of championship success and family culture."

A Johns Creek, Ga. native, Kinney's interest in the sport of baseball was originally sparked by his grandfather, Jack Krol, who was a long time major and minor league coach for the Cardinals and the Padres. Kinney is engaged to Allyson Bradshaw and currently resides in Highland Falls, N.Y.

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Foster Adds Kinney to Baseball Staff

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