Matthew Kinney - Assistant Baseball Coach - Baseball Coaches

Matthew Kinney

Title:
Assistant Baseball Coach
Email:
matthew.kinney@westpoint.edu

Matthew Kinney is in his first season at West Point after joining head coach Jim Foster's staff as an assistant coach in the summer of 2021. In his role, he will work with the Cadets' pitching staff.

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 worked as the pitching coach of the esteemed Cape Cod League’s Cotuit Kettleers in 2016. Kinney got the job in Cotuit after playing for the team in 2015.

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.

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.