EVANSVILLE - Continuing to fill out his coaching staff, University of Evansville head baseball coach Wes Carroll has announced the hiring of Matt Wollenzin as assistant coach.

Familiar with the River City, Wollenzin served as assistant coach in the 2016 and 2017 seasons for the Aces, primarily serving as catching instructor and assisting with hitters. Most recently, Wollenzin completed his fifth season at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn. where he served as associate head coach the last two seasons.

"Matt Wollenzin is such a dynamic coach in all aspects of the game," said Carroll. "His overall knowledge and experience will be a great asset for years to come. Matt comes back to Evansville to lead our offense and have an essential role recruiting future Aces.  His ability to teach, lead and connect is special. I'm thrilled to have Matt back in the dugout."

Wollenzin has also coached in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer league, with the Mankato Moondogs, serving as the team's head coach and field manager since 2019. This season, Wollenzin earned his 100th win as Moondog head coach and had the opportunity to work with current Aces Donovan Schultz and Brendan Hord.

"I would like to thank Coach Carroll for this tremendous opportunity," said Wollenzin. "With the recent success and overall momentum of this program I could not be more excited to be back in an Aces uniform. I look forward to building relationships and getting to work with a very talented group of student athletes this fall."  

At Bethany Lutheran, Wollenzin helped guide the Vikings to their most successful season in school history in his first season as an assistant coach. In 2018, the Vikings won a share of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title for the first time with a record of 14-2 and then went on to win the UMAC postseason tournament for the first time ever. As a result, the Vikings qualified for their first-ever NCAA Regional Tournament.

The 2018 season also brought much individual recognition for the Vikings as they boasted the UMAC Pitcher of the Year in Cody Leitner and Rookie of the Year in Ross Beumer. Additionally, the Vikings had eight players earn All-UMAC First Team honors. The recognition continued as Ross Beumer was named Rookie of the Year by D3baseball.com and Ben Boran was an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA DIII Midwest All-Region Second-team selection.

Previous to his prior stop at UE, Wollenzin began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Austin Peay State University.

As a player at Austin Peay, Matt was a four-year starter as a catcher, first baseman, and designated hitter. Wollenzin's playing career was highlighted by three NCAA Division I Regional appearances (2011-2013) as well as individual honors of 2011 NCBWA Freshman All-American Team and 2011 OVC All-Freshman Team.

Matt graduated from Austin Peay University in 2014 with a Bachelors in Healthcare Management. He earned his Masters in Healthcare Administration in 2015. Wollenzin is a native of Lakewood, CO.
 

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