Head Coach | Matt O'Brien

Matt O'Brien will begin his sixth season as the head baseball coach at Minnesota Morris in 2025.

After O'Brien's first two seasons as head coach were played under the shadow of COVID-19 and each year was shortened, the Cougars played a more complete 2022 schedule and finished with a school-record 22 victories. Seven players off the team were named All-UMAC and the squad finished with a 13-8 record in conference play. A potent offense saw two players -- Alex Baumann and Tyler Scheler -- tie the single-season school record with 36 RBIs, while three players -- Logan Graves, Joe Pelle, and Evan Benson -- either broke or tied the previous school record for stolen bases in a season. The Cougars set single-season program records for runs (272), RBIs (233), stolen bases (119), and home runs (18).

The 2023 season featured plenty of weather-related headaches and only one game was played at Chizek Field, but Minnesota Morris persevered to finish 19-19 overall and qualify for the UMAC Tournament for the first time since 2017 with a 14-7 UMAC record.

A native of Winona, Minnesota, Coach O'Brien brings 14 years of leadership experience and seven years of collegiate experience to UMN Morris. Most recently, he was the pitching coach at Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), an NCAA Division I program. Prior to UMES he was an assistant coach at the University of St. Thomas and spent five seasons at his alma mater, Winona State University.

While at UMES, O’Brien served as the pitching coach during the 2018-19 school year. His duties included: developing and customizing pitching philosophies, recruiting potential student-athletes, and using technology to increase the success of the student-athletes and the program as a whole. Along with his athletic responsibilities, he was the academic liaison for the baseball team, which saw 19 student-athletes named to the Dean’s List and 13 student-athletes named to the All-MEAC Academic Team.

O'Brien began his college playing days for the North Iowa Area Community College Trojans from 2003-05. He was named to the Iowa Community College Athletic Association (ICCAA) All-Region and Academic All-Region Teams in 2005. The Trojans won 39 games on the way to a regular season title. O’Brien is still among the all-time leaders in the NIACC record book in saves, strikeouts, and innings pitched.

After earning his associates' degree from North Iowa Area Community College, O’Brien went on to Winona State University. In two seasons, he made 21 appearances and seven starts for the Warriors. His playing career ended with an exclamation mark in 2007, when the Warriors won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title. O'Brien was named Most Valuable Pitcher and took a spot on the All-Tournament team.

From 2012-17 he worked as the Warriors' pitching coach, overseeing all elements of the activities on the mound and helped with recruiting. In five years with the Warriors, O’Brien’s pitching staffs ranked among the conference’s best in strikeouts, earned runs, and walks allowed.

During his time at Winona State, Mitch Stalsberg became the first Winona State pitcher since 1998 to be drafted by Major League Baseball, with his selection by Detroit in the 23rd round. Stalsberg split his 2018 season between Western Michigan and Connecticut, earning a 1.51 ERA over 17 innings pitched.

In the summer of 2016, O'Brien worked as an assistant for the Madison Mallards out of the Northwoods Collegiate Summer League. This position gave him the chance to work with several pitchers who took top spots in the 2018 MLB draft, including second rounder Mitchell Kilkenny of Texas A&M, fourth rounder Franklin German of North Florida, and 14th rounder Mike Byrne — the saves record holder for the University of Florida. The Mallards finished in the top-five in ERA, strikeouts, and win percentage.

Other stops include a five-year stint coaching and teaching at Winona Cotter High School, including three years as head baseball coach. He helped guide the program to their first title in seven years. O'Brien also worked with the Winona VFW 16U traveling baseball team from 2007-2015, which finished second in the state in its first state appearance in 22 years (2011).

O’Brien graduated with a bachelor of science in physical education from Winona State University in 2009. He also obtained a master of science degree in educational leadership and sports management from Winona State University in 2016.