University of Richmond Athletics
Tyner Accepts Head Coach Position at Towson
06/22/2017 | Baseball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Matt Tyner has stepped down as Spider Baseball assistant coach/recruiting coordinator to accept the head-coaching job at Towson University of the Colonial Athletic Association. Â
"I would like to thank Coach Tyner for the four years we spent together at Richmond," said head coach Tracy Woodson. "The opportunity for us to work together stemmed from a longstanding friendship and it has been a great four years. I hate to see him go but I know this is something he's been looking forward to and deserves. I wish him all the best, except for February 23-25, 2018 when Towson comes to Pitt Field."
Tyner joined Woodson at Richmond prior to the start of the 2013-14 academic year. During his four years with the program, the Spiders have been one of the best offensive teams in the Atlantic 10.
"I would like to thank Coach Woodson and the University of Richmond family for giving me the opportunity to work at such a special place," Tyner said. "I will always be thankful for having had the opportunity to work with true professionals and outstanding student-athletes as it has helped me prepare for the next chapter of my career. To Tracy: I will take with me a life-long friendship that will sustain the test of time."
The 2015 season was a banner year for the Spiders with one of the A-10's most potent offenses. Richmond made its fifth-straight conference tournament appearance while recording the most RBI (337) since 2007, the most doubles (107) since 2008, the best batting average (.286) since 2010, and the best team slugging percentage (.450) since 2003. Not only did the Spider bats shine in the A-10 spotlight, but Richmond also ranked in the top 50 nationally in multiple hitting categories. Â
"The list is too long to thank individually in a press release, but those individuals that came in and out of my life, during my career at Richmond have made this past four years the most memorable experience for me and my family," said Tyner. "Now I look forward to finding out if all of that advice I gave people actually works. Although now I have become a Tiger, the Spiders will always hold a special place in my heart."
Under Tyner's guidance, the Spiders have had 17 All-Conference honorees, including the 2015 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Michael Morman – which was the first such honor for the program since 2003. Since joining the program, Tyner has seen four players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft: Matt Dacey and Tanner Stanley, both in 2015, Tyler Beckwith in 2016 and his first Spider recruit Keenan Bartlett in 2017.
