West Texas A&M University Men's Baseball

Vanderburg enters his eighth season as the head baseball coach at West Texas A&M and has a 205-153 record.  He is 304-220 overall in nine seasons as he coached at Clarendon College (99-67) for three years prior to WT from 2006-2008.      Vanderburg had built the Buffs into a regional and national power as in his seven years in Canyon culminating with the programs first Lone Star Conference Co-Regular Season title in 2015 and Vanderburg earned LSC Coach of the Year honors for his efforts.  He has won 30-plus games each of the last three seasons and taken the Buffs to back-to-back NCAA South Central Region postseason tournaments.         In 2015, the Buffs went a school-best 23-12 in Lone Star Conference play and saw closer Paul Lujan earn multiple All-America honors as he was a NCBWA First Team All-American and Daktronics Honorable Mention. In Vanderburgs tenure at WT, he has coached six All-Americans for the Buffs of the seventh in school history.      Over the course of his time at WT, the 2011 team led the nation in batting average, doubles per game and slugging percentage.  He has coached five all-Americans at WT and five his six years the Buffs have finished in the top 20 in team batting average.  Former Buffalo Dylan James was Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2014 and earned multiple All-America honors in his two seasons, while Jess Cooper led the country in hitting in 2011.        Vanderburg had his best season so far at WT in 2014 as he guided the Buffs to a school-record 37-21 record and a berth in the programs first NCAA South Central Regional.  The Buffs went 2-2 in the regional with wins over Tarleton State and Texas A&M-Kingsville.  WT was 21-14 in Lone Star Confernece play in 2014, earning the No. 2-seed in the LSC Championship and finished as the conference tournament runner-up which was first for the program.      The 2014 Buffs finished 15th nationally in batting average at a .325 clip and were third nationally in hits with 669.  WT finished 12th in runs (407), 26th in scoring (7.0), 15th in shutouts (7), 27th in slugging percentage (.444) second in triples (27) and 29th in doubles (100).      James earned numerous all-America accolades during his two-year career with the Buffs.  James broke the school record for strikouts in a season in 2013 and then topped it with 126 in 2014 ranking third nationally.  He averaged 11.57 strikeouts per game ranking 11th nationally in 2014 and had a 2.30 ERA.  James recorded a school-record 1.83 ERA in 2013 which ranked him 27th nationally and he was third nationally in hits allowed at just 5.74.  James signed a free-agent contract with the Houston Astros in 2014.      The 2013 season saw the Buffs narrowly miss the NCAA tournament with a 30-21 record and a 15-13 mark in conference play.  The Buffs finished 18th nationally in batting average at .330 and were 21st in fielding percentage at .969.  It was the second 30-win season for the Buffs under Vanderburg.      In 2012, Vanderburg led the Buffs to a 29-19 record and a fourth-place finish in the Lone Star Conference.  WT had the conferences leading hitter in Justin Henderson who earned numerous postseason accolades as he was a first team all-conference selection and all-region.      In addition, the pitching improved drastically in 2012 as the Buffs set the school-record for lowest ERA and lowest opponent batting, average, as well as the fewest walks per nine allowed.  2012 also brought the fewest hits and runs allowed.      Vanderburgs third season saw the Buffs go 30-19 which is the fourth-best record in school history and 17-16 in conference play.    In his second season, the Buffs record a 23-20 overall mark with a seventh place finish in the Lone Star Conference. The season was shortened by continuous winter storms throughout the area that saw the Buffs lose 22 games due to cancellations. The Buffs hit .353 as a team with 85 doubles, 22 triples, 39 homers and 327 RBI for a slugging percentage of .522 with 56 stolen bases on 66 attempts.      During his first season at WT in 2009, Vanderburg led the Buffs to a 20-33 overall record with a 13-29 mark in the difficult Lone Star Conference. The Buffs won the first four games of the season which ranks as the best start to as season in program history to that point. Vanderburg was introduced as just the fourth head coach of the Buffalo Baseball program on May 9, 2008.      In his final season at Clarendon Junior College in 2008, Vanderburg led the Bulldogs to a 40-16 overall record and a trip to the NJCAA playoffs. He joined the program during the summer of 2003 as the programs recruiting coordinator and hitting coach.      During the 2005 campaign, Vanderburg was an instrumental part of the record season for the bulldogs. With a 43-13 record and a first ever national ranking, the Bulldogs were put on the map. That same season Vanderburgs hitters led the country in batting average (.374 team average).      In his second season as the assistant he helped guide them to another 30 win season and a third straight regional tournament appearance. Taking the reins of the program for the 2006 season, Vanderburg guided the Bulldogs to a 22-30 record, but began laying the grounds for winning seasons in each of the next two years. During the 2006 campaign, the Bulldogs finished third nationally with a .376 team batting average and then followed that up with a .361 average in 2007, finishing 10th nationally.      Vanderburg began his coaching career working for his former high school coach Shannon Enfield. He was the head coach of the Norman Majors American Legion team, a premier summer league team located in Oklahoma.      He graduated from Norman North High School and during his prep playing career he set numerous hitting records, some of which still stand today. He helped pave the way for a very successful program that stands today.      Out of high school he signed a scholarship to play baseball under Coach Joe Phillips at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. During his collegiate career at Northwestern he was a four-time All-Conference performer and helped to bring Northwestern to the national spotlight.      While at NWOSU, the Rangers climbed as high as seventh in the national polls in addition to setting a new school record for wins in a season with 49. A native of Norman, Oklahoma, Vanderburg holds his Bachelors of Science in health and physical education from Northwestern Oklahoma State and a Masters degree in health and physical education from Emporia State. While at NWOSU, the Rangers climbed as high as seventh in the national polls in addition to setting a new school record for wins in a season with 49. A native of Norman, Oklahoma, Vanderburg holds his Bachelors of Science in health and physical education from Northwestern Oklahoma State and a Masters degree in health and physical education from Emporia State.   Matt Vanderburg's Head Coaching Record

Cory Hall takes is in his second season at the helm of the West Texas A&M Baseball program after being promoted to head coach in the Summer of 2024.  The first season under Hall's leadership saw the Buffaloes finish 31-21 with a 29-19 mark in Lone Star Conference play, advancing to the LSC Championships for the 14th time in program history. WT ranked inside the Top-25 nationally in batting average, doubles per game, scoring, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and triples. Hall spent 14 seasons as the top assistant and pitching coach for the Buffaloes. Hall has had four different pitchers (Austin Moore, Josh Payne, Marshall Kasowski, Joe Corbett) drafted in the Major League Baseball Draft during his time in Canyon with multiple other professional players learning under one of the top pitching minds in collegiate baseball. Hall has seen the Buffs become a regional and national contender during his time in Canyon as WT has registered an overall record of 474-267 over his 15 seasons with two Lone Star Conference Championships (2018, 2021) and seven trips to the NCAA Tournament. Hall has been instrumental in the building of the Buffalo baseball program throughout both of his stints with the Buffs as he continually has helped improve the pitching staff each year. 2024 saw the Buffaloes return to the NCAA Postseason for the ninth time in program history as they finished 37-19 overall with a 34-14 mark in the Lone Star Conference. The Buffs were ranked as high as third in the nation during the campaign, advancing to the South Central Regional Finals in Grand Junction, Colorado. Nine Buffs claimed all-conference honors with Kyle Micklus being named the LSC Newcomer of the Year, senior first baseman Dylan Fesperman picked up All-American honors by the NCBWA and D2CCA. The 2023 Buffaloes finished the campaign 30-22 overall with a 28-20 mark in Lone Star Conference action to advance to the program's ninth LSC Tournament. 2022 saw the Buffaloes advance to their eighth straight NCAA Division II Postseason, finishing the campaign with an overall record of 39-19. WT registered a Lone Star Conference-high 12 saves during the season as they finished with a 5.85 ERA, allowing 346 runs (299 earned) on 534 hits with 236 walks and 500 strikeouts during their 459.2 innings of work with an opposing batting average of .288. Friday night starter Nick Marshall picked up All-South Central Region and All-Lone Star Conference honors as the sophomore went 11-4 overall with a 4.69 ERA and 81 strikeouts. The 2021 campaign saw the Buffaloes claim their third Lone Star Conference Championship with a 28-4 mark in league action as they advanced to a seventh straight NCAA Tournament, making an appearance in the program's first ever Regional Finals with an overall record of 34-9. 12 different Buffs picked-up All-LSC honors while Keone Givens, Mathieu Gauthier, Todd Danzeisen, Kennedy Badgett, Carter Brown and Cade Engle were named All-Region, Givens and Gauthier were also tabbed Honorable Mention NCBWA All-Americans for their efforts on the diamond. The Buffs finished their 2019 campaign with an overall record of 41-12 to set a new program record for victories in a single season, WT claimed their third Lone Star Conference Tournament Title in the last four years while making an appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Postseason for the sixth straight season. Joe Corbett was named the Division II National Pitcher of the Year by the D2CCA and NCBWA as the Edmond product became the fourth highest draft pick in LSC history when he was taken in the 10th Round (295th Overall) by the Texas Rangers. The Buffs finished the season with 566 strikeouts to set a new single-season Lone Star Conference record. 2018 saw the Buffs cap-off arguably the best season in program history with hosting duties for the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament at Wilder Park in Canyon. The Buffs reached the 40-win plateau for the first time in program history, finishing the season with a mark of 40-14 as they claimed their second Lone Star Conference Title with a league record of 20-4. WT was named the Lone Star Conference Coaching Staff of the Year while senior first baseman became the second Buff in history to pick-up LSC Player of the Year accolades. On the mound, Hall guided a talented WT pitching staff the finished the season with a 4.65 ERA, striking out 463 batters and allowing an opposing batting average of just .275. In 2017, Hall helped guide the Buffs to a 36-20 record overall and the program's third-straight trip to the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament and their second-straight Lone Star Conference Tournament Title. Hall helped guide the Buffs' staff to a school-record 3.20 ERA ranking ninth nationally and first in the LSC. The Buffs led the nation in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.0 and were fourth nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.16. Marshall Kasowski was named LSC Pitcher of the Year, South Central Region Pitcher of the Year and earned multiple All-America honors. Kasowski led the nation in strikeouts with 165 as it marked a school-record, while leading the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (15.91) and hits allowed per nine innings (4.82). Kasowski became the highest Buff ever drafted at 400th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 13th Round while Joshua Payne was drafted in the 22nd Round by the New York Mets.  During his first year back on staff at WT following two-years away from baseball, Hall and the Buffs won their first Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship. Hall helped guide senior Austin Moore to a First Team All-Conference accolade and a two-time All-Region pitching selection and Moore was drafted in the 26th Round of the June draft by the Colorado Rockies.  Hall has been instrumental in the building of the Buffalo baseball program under Matt Vanderburg throughout both of his stints with the Buffs as he continually has helped improve the pitching staff each year. In his first stint, he worked with the likes of Dylan James who had an outstanding career for the Buffs earning multiple All-America accolades and had a stint with the Houston Astros organization.    Prior to being hired at WT, Hall served as head coach at New Mexico Junior College in 2008 as he led the ThunderBirds to a WJCAC Conference Championship with an overall record of 45-10. The team ranked in the top five nationally and a 3.43 ERA. as Hall earned WJCAC Coach of the Year and had three players drafted. Hall also was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at NMJC and finished as national runner-up at the 2007 Junior College World Series. Overall, he had 11 pitchers drafted during his time at NMJC.   Prior to NMJC, both Hall and Vanderburg were on staff together at Clarendon College. During the 2002 and 2003 seasons, Hall served as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator and was elevated to head coach for the 2004 and 2005 seasons.    In his first year as head coach, his club finished 43-13 to record the most wins in school history while claiming a Division Championship as they were ranked in the Top 10 in the nation marking the first national ranking in program history. The team led the nation in batting average at .374. During his two seasons as head coach, Hall had 21 players sign to play at the university level, eight at Division I. He had eight players drafted or sign professional contracts during that time.   Prior to Clarendon, Hall began coaching at his alma mater Northwestern Oklahoma State. While at NWOSU, he served as pitching coach for three seasons (1999-2001) and played a vital role in turning around a program that had not had a winning season in several years.   During that time, the team complied three winning seasons with a combined record of 104-53. In his third season, the team finished with a 49-12 record and was ranked as high as seventh nationally, breaking the school-record for wins in a season and qualifying for the regional tournament for the first time in program history.   The Leedey, Oklahoma native made a pair of trips to the NJCAA College World Series during his collegiate pitching career. He played two seasons at Seminole State College, helping the Trojans to an overall record of 102-16 followed by one season at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. Hall earned his Bachelor's and Master's degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Shawn Neale is now in his 10th season as an Assistant Baseball Coach at West Texas A&M as he was named the program's Recruiting Coordinator in the Summer of 2021. Neale was elevated to Associate Head Coach following the 2025 season. He is heavily involved in recruiting efforts along with hitter and catcher development while also implementing skill camps and youth tournaments throughout the year. The 2025 Buffaloes finished 31-21 overall with a 29-19 mark in Lone Star Conference play as they hit .337 on the season with 115 doubles, 24 triples and 64 homeruns to drive in 412 RBI with a slugging percentage of .551. WT ranked 13th nationally in batting average along with 6th in triples, 11th in slugging percentage, 15th in on-base percentage, 21st in scoring, 27th in doubles, 41st in homeruns, and 47th in hits. Senior Kory Schmidt was tabbed a Third Team All-American by D2CCA with Schmidt, Dylan Fesperman and Kyle Micklus earning All-Region accolades. 2024 saw the Buffaloes return to the NCAA Postseason for the ninth time in program history as they finished 37-19 overall with a 34-14 mark in the Lone Star Conference. The Buffs were ranked as high as third in the nation during the campaign, advancing to the South Central Regional Finals in Grand Junction, Colorado. Nine Buffs claimed all-conference honors with Kyle Micklus being named the LSC Newcomer of the Year, senior first baseman Dylan Fesperman picked up All-American honors by the NCBWA and D2CCA. The 2023 Buffaloes finished the campaign 30-22 overall with a 28-20 mark in Lone Star Conference action to advance to the program's ninth LSC Tournament. Senior third baseman Adam Becker was tabbed the NCBWA and D2CCA South Central Region Player of the Year while picking up All-American honors. 2022 saw the Buffaloes register one of the best offensive performances in program history as they hit .333 as a team with 137 doubles, 13 triples and a school-record 75 homeruns to drive in 465 RBI with a slugging percentage of .532. Third baseman Adam Becker became the Lone Star Conference Player of the Year with 22 doubles and 22 long balls to drive in 92 RBI, claiming All-American honors along with teammate Ryan Johnson. The Buffs advanced to their eighth straight NCAA Division II Postseason, finishing with an overall mark of 39-19.  The 2021 campaign saw the Buffaloes claim their third Lone Star Conference Championship with a 28-4 mark in league action as they advanced to a seventh straight NCAA Tournament, making an appearance in the program's first ever Regional Finals with an overall record of 34-9. 12 different Buffs picked-up All-LSC honors while Keone Givens, Mathieu Gauthier, Todd Danzeisen, Kennedy Badgett, Carter Brown and Cade Engle were named All-Region, Givens and Gauthier were also tabbed Honorable Mention NCBWA All-Americans for their efforts on the diamond. 2020 saw the Buffaloes start the season ranked 15th nationally as they held a 17-6 overall mark on March 12th when the remainder of the campaign was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Buffs finished their 2019 campaign with an overall record of 41-12 to set a new program record for victories in a single season, WT claimed their third LSC Tournament Title in the last four years while making an appearance in the NCAA Division II Baseball Postseason for the sixth straight season. WT finished the year with the sixth highest batting average (.327) in all of Division II Baseball while also ranking fifth in the country in on-base percentage (.426). Joe Corbett was named the Division II National Pitcher of the Year by the D2CCA and NCBWA as the Edmond product became the fourth highest draft pick in LSC history when he was taken in the 10th Round (295th Overall) by the Texas Rangers. Corbett was tabbed an All-American along with fellow senior Kyle Kaufman. 2018 saw the Buffs cap-off arguably the best season in program history with hosting duties for the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament at Wilder Park in Canyon. The Buffs reached the 40-win plateau for the first time in program history, finishing the season with a mark of 40-14 as they claimed their second Lone Star Conference Title with a league record of 20-4. WT was named the Lone Star Conference Coaching Staff of the Year while senior first baseman Luis Amaro became the third Buff in history to pick-up LSC Player of the Year accolades. At the plate, the Buffs finished the season hitting .318 as a team with 127 doubles, 23 triples and 47 homeruns to drive in 388 RBI for a slugging percentage of .498. In 2017, he helped guide the Buffs to their fourth-straight NCAA South Central Regional appearance and second-straight Lone Star Conference Tournament Title with a 36-18 record overall. Neale helped with the offense as the Buffs finished tenth nationally in doubles (124) and seventh in doubles per game at 2.30 both leading the LSC. The Buffs also led the LSC in fielding percentage at a .970 percentage to rank 19th nationally.  Neale came to WT from Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa where he has served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for three seasons. In 2016, the Mavericks set a school-record for wins going 43-19 and were ranked as high as seventh nationally in the NJCAA poll. Neale helped guide NOC-T to a NJCAA Region 2 Runner-Up finish, while having two draftees in Ariel Burgos-Garcia and Walker Whitworth, along with two NJCAA All-Americans in Burgos-Garcia and Josh Evans. In 2015, the team finished 37-24 which was 18 victories more than the previous season and the Mavericks were ranked as high as 12th in the national poll, while remaining in the Top 25 for six consecutive weeks. Neale and the Mavericks finished third in the Regional Tournament.  Prior to NOC-T, Neale spent three seasons at Northwestern Oklahoma State where he served in a similar role. Neale worked as an assistant coach working with the catchers and hitters. He oversaw strength and conditioning with the position players. Under Neale’s watch, catcher Juan Natal was named to the 2013 All-Great American Conference First Team as he threw out 42 percent of would-be base stealers.  Neale played collegiately at Bacone College, and in his first season there, he helped lead the Warriors to a 35-21 record and a Red River Athletic Conference North Division Title, the first in program history. As a sophomore, Neale was part of the 41-14 squad which reached as high as 18th in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll.  A native of Collingwood, Ontario, Neale earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Bacone in Health and Physical Education in 2011.   

Ryan Cantrell joined the West Texas A&M Baseball coaching staff in the Summer of 2025. Cantrell will work with the Buffalo pitching staff.   Cantrell comes to Canyon following five seasons as the assistant coach at Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, California. Ryan worked with the Coyote pitching staff while also serving as the program's recruiting coordinator. Coso Baseball claimed 103 victories during Cantrell's time in Ridgecrest with a run to the CCCAA Regional Tournament in 2023.   Ryan began his coaching career at his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 2019, working with the pitching staff as well as KWU's Developmental Team. The Yotes won 25 games during the 2019 campaign and qualified for the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Tournament.   Cantrell played collegiately at Kansas Wesleyan University from 2014-18 where he became the program's all-time saves leader (11). As a senior in 2018 he set a KWU single season record with 10 saves in 22 appearances with 21 strikeouts in his 33.2 innings of work. He grew up in Oro Valley, California and finished his prep playing career at Free State High School in Lawrence, Kansas.   Ryan earned a Bachelor's in Sports Management and Business Studies from Kansas Wesleyan along with a Master's in Business Administration and Management.