Lincoln Memorial University Men's Baseball

Justin Haywood enters his fifth season as head coach of the Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters in the 2025-2026 season. Under his leadership, the team has set new program records in individual single-season doubles, single-season triples, individual career assists, individual career triples, and individual career home runs. The Railsplitters have made South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Tournament appearances in 2022, 2023, and 2024, finishing as runner-up in both 2023 and 2024. During his tenure, Haywood has coached players who earned numerous accolades, including two SAC Player of the Week honors, two TSWA Player of the Week awards, four SAC Pitcher of the Week recognitions, and a total of ten SAC All-Conference selections. Additionally, he has coached seven SAC All-Tournament Team selections, one SAC Player of the Year, one NCBWA Regional Player of the Year, two NCBWA All-Region, one D2CAA Regional Player of the Year, two D2CAA All-Region, one NCBWA All-American, one ABCA/Rawlings Regional Player of the Year, three ABCA/Rawlings All-Region, one D2CAA All-American, and one ABCA/Rawlings All-American. Academically, the program has excelled under Haywood’s guidance, winning the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with 13 named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, 1 to the CSC Academic All-American Team, and one honored as SAC Baseball Scholar Athlete of the Year. Previously, Coach Haywood served as the Railsplitters’ top assistant and recruiting coordinator before taking over the head coaching role from Jeff Sziksai, who led LMU for 17 seasons, posting a 451-389-3 (.537) record with three SAC Tournament titles and four NCAA Southeast Regional Championship appearances. Haywood joined the Railsplitters’ staff as a graduate assistant in 2014 and served as an assistant coach for five years. He played a crucial role in LMU’s three consecutive 30-win seasons and three straight NCAA Southeast Regional Championship appearances from 2017 to 2019. Primarily responsible for hitters and catchers, he also assumed the recruiting coordinator position in 2019. Under his guidance, the offense consistently ranked among the top in the South Atlantic Conference. He helped lead LMU to back-to-back SAC Tournament championships in 2017 and 2018, marking the program’s first conference titles since 2013. Over his seven seasons in Harrogate, the Railsplitters compiled a 195-132-1 (.596) overall record and a 98-61 (.616) mark in conference play, earning six top-four finishes. The team was the SAC regular-season runner-up in 2017 and 2019 and earned its first two NCAA tournament wins in program history during the 2017 SAC Tournament. In 2018, LMU set a program record with 36 wins and upset top-ranked Georgia College in the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship’s opening round. During his first season in 2014, Haywood helped the Railsplitters rank in the top three of the conference in several offensive categories, including batting average, doubles per game, home runs, on-base percentage, runs scored, and slugging percentage, leading to a 27-17-1 record. The team’s offensive production improved each year, with notable gains in 2015 and 2016 after he was promoted to full-time assistant. In 2017, LMU ranked in the top three in nearly all key offensive stats, followed by a record-setting 2018 campaign that broke single-season program records for runs scored, hits, doubles, RBI, total bases, and walks. Despite the shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LMU had achieved 34 wins for three consecutive years by 2019 and ranked among conference leaders in hits, home runs, runs, slugging percentage, and triples. As a full-time assistant, Haywood mentored several players who earned All-SAC First Team honors, including infielders Chris Salvey, Tyler Adams, and Timmy Wages, and outfielders Nate Stinson and Logan Augustine. Other players earned All-SAC Second Team recognition, while multiple athletes received all-region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), and Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). Off the field, several players were named CoSIDA Academic All-District. Before becoming a full-time LMU assistant, Haywood spent summers coaching the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod Baseball League, helping the team win an East Division II title in 2014. Throughout his coaching career, Haywood has seen 20 of his former players sign Major League Baseball contracts, including first-round picks Ian Happ and Jonathan Harris. At LMU, three players signed MLB contracts under his tenure: Ethan Elliott (San Diego Padres 10th-round draft pick), Logan Sawyer (Colorado Rockies 29th-round pick), and Matt Mullenbach (free agent with the New York Mets). Chris Salvey also signed professionally with the New York Boulders of the Frontier League. Prior to LMU, Haywood was an assistant coach for two seasons at Division I Marist College in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). During his time there, his catchers posted a .989 fielding percentage and threw out 33 percent of attempted base stealers, while the offense ranked second in the MAAC with a .298 batting average. The Red Foxes compiled a 52-49-1 record and saw two players drafted into MLB during his tenure. Haywood began his collegiate coaching career in 2011 as a volunteer assistant at Old Dominion University under Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year Nate Goulet. A 2010 graduate of the University of Louisville, Haywood was a four-year member of the Cardinals baseball program. During his collegiate career, Louisville won four Big East titles, made four NCAA Regional appearances, two Super Regionals, and reached the 2007 College World Series, compiling a 185-77 record. Haywood was twice named to the Big East Academic All-Star team. Justin is married to Lindsay Davis, a former four-year letter winner and SAC champion on the LMU women’s golf team. Dr. Lindsay Haywood currently serves as Lincoln Memorial University’s Assistant Vice President for Enrollment.

In June 2023, Lincoln Memorial University baseball head coach Justin Haywood chose Matt Thomas as the program’s Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator.   With 14 years of baseball coaching experience at the college level, Thomas is no stranger to the Volunteer State. After suiting up for NCAA Division I Lipscomb University in Nashville during his undergraduate career, Thomas spent eight years as a Division I coach where he aided the Bisons for a trio of seasons and was an assistant at Belmont University for five. Prior to his time with the Bruin program, Thomas coached at Trevecca Nazarene University where he helped the Trojans begin the transition from NAIA to Division II. Altogether, Thomas coached for 11 seasons at three different universities in the greater Nashville area.   Thomas arrived in Harrogate after a three-year stint at NAIA Point University in West Point, Georgia, where he was an assistant coach for skipper John Tyler. Overseeing hitting, base running, and infield play for the Skyhawks, Thomas assisted in all areas of the program. Point’s offense flourished during Thomas’ time in Georgia with the Skyhawks hitting over .300 as a team in each of his three seasons as an assistant coach.   In his first season aiding the Skyhawks, Point won a school-record 37 games, captured the 2018 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament title for the program’s first conference championship and made its first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament. The Skyhawks reached the championship game of the national tournament’s Lawrenceville Bracket as the team hit .303 for the season and stole and impressive 124 bases. During the 2019 season, Thomas helped Point reach the 30-win plateau for the third consecutive year (30-23) and two of his infielders earned a spot on the AAC Gold Glove Team – senior first baseman Dayton Cook and senior second baseman Alberto Lozada. Under Thomas’ guidance, the Skyhawks hit .312 and stole 119 bases.   While Point’s 2020 campaign was cut short due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Thomas was able to assist the Skyhawks to a 13-4 record, a .314 team batting average and 47 stolen bases.   Before heading to Georgia, Thomas played an integral role in Belmont’s offensive success for five seasons. As a legitimate contender in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Bruins were ranked in the top 10 in several offensive categories for back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016, including home runs, stolen bases, walks and doubles. In total, the team ranked in the top 10 in nine offensive categories in 2016 and six different categories in 2015.   During his time at Belmont, 11 of Thomas’ former players were selected in the MLB Draft. In the classroom, the Bruins maintained a grade point average over 3.2. Responsible for outfield development and positioning, Thomas was the first base coach and assisted with hitting and defensive alignment. He also maintained the indoor hitting facility, oversaw all rentals and upkeep, and promoted and help run all camps.   For three seasons, Thomas helped lead the Trevecca Nazarene program where he was the interim head coach in 2011. As the hitting coach, all three of Thomas’ teams hit over .300 and numerous Trojans garnered all-conference selections. Coaching third base and running the offense, Thomas recruited four players who went on to receive three All-American laurels and a Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) Player of the Year award. Two of his former Trevecca Nazarene players ended up signing professional contracts.   In addition to serving as an assistant coach for the Trojans, where he helped arrange travel and organized camps, Thomas was the head groundskeeper for the athletic facilities. Scheduling maintenance of equipment and turf, Thomas interacted with vendors and led facility renovations while maintaining all playing and practice surfaces.   Thomas began his coaching career at ASUN Conference member Lipscomb, where he was a graduate assistant for the Bisons for two seasons and then a volunteer assistant. During the 2007 campaign, Lipscomb made its first-ever ASUN Conference Tournament appearance before Thomas played a part in the program’s historic 2008 season. The Bisons won their first ASUN Conference Tournament title, made their first NCAA Regional and claimed their first NCAA postseason victory. During his three-year coaching stint at Lipscomb, three Bisons inked professional contracts. As the catching coach and head groundskeeper, Thomas assisted with infielders and hitters and helped organize all practices.     After beginning his collegiate playing career as a shortstop at St. Catherine Community College in St. Catherine, Kentucky, Thomas transferred to Lipscomb where he lettered for the Bisons for two seasons. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas earned his Bachelor of Science in exercise science in 2006 and his Master of Education in instructional leadership in 2008, attaining both degrees from Lipscomb.