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The 2023 season will be Matt Tyner’s fifth at the helm of the Towson University baseball program.
The 2022 campaign saw Towson finish in a big way, earning a series win over CAA regular season champion Charleston, capped by a walk-off home run by Chandler Castleberry on Senior Day. Towson had two players earn All-CAA honors for the first time since 2016: Jack McLaughlin earned All-CAA Second Team while Elijah Dickerson was Honorable Mention All-CAA.
In 2021, Towson earned a berth in the CAA Tournament for the first time since 2013, notching second place in the CAA North and 21 total victories, the most for the team since 2014., including series victories over Delaware and George Mason. Kody Reeser became the first pitcher since 2012 to earn All-CAA honors while the team also set a program record for strikeouts pitched with 419. Of players who played at least 30 games, four of the top five in batting average were newcomers to the roster.
Tyner’s first two seasons came in 2018-19, then he took temporary leave for the shortened 2020 year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, returning in May 2020.
Year two under Tyner saw the Tigers make important strides as a program, including winning two CAA series plus earning a mid-week win at Power Five opponent Penn State. Javon Fields became the first Towson player to be a CAA All-Rookie Team member since 2016 while the Towson pitching staff went from a 7.31 ERA in 2018 to a 5.59 ERA in 2019. The top five players in batting average in 2019 were all newcomers to the Towson roster.
In his first year with the Tigers in 2018, Richie Palacios was named All-CAA Second Team, hitting .301 with eight home runs and 18 doubles, and was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Indians, the highest Tiger drafted since 1988. Three players, Palacios, Billy Lennox and Colin Gimblet hit above .267 with multiple home runs and at least eight doubles.
“We are very excited for Matt to be our next head coach,” said Director of Athletics Tim Leonard. “We had a very talented candidate pool and Matt stood out with his vision of turning this program into a contender. His success as a player and coach, as well as in the business sector, made him the ideal person to be the next head coach at Towson.”
“First off, I want to thank God for this opportunity,” said Tyner. “Secondly, I want to thank President Kim Schatzel and Athletic Director Tim Leonard for having the faith and the trust in me to guide the Towson University baseball program. I am very excited for this opportunity as it fulfills a life-long dream.
“I fully understand the responsibility that has been given to me and I will promise to uphold the Towson University values and mission statement to the best of my ability. I look forward to meeting everyone, including the members of my new team, the alumni, the administration and staff, and all of those fans of Tiger Athletics.
“The amount of support and level of commitment that I have received from Tim and his staff continues to show me that Towson baseball has a bright future ahead. I look forward to hitting the ground running with my new team.”
Tyner comes to Towson after spending the previous four seasons as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Richmond.
In his tenure as the team’s hitting coach, the Spiders ranked at or near the top of the Atlantic 10 in several offensive categories.
This past season, Tyner helped run an offense that finished in the top five in the league in average (.280), hits (522) and doubles (103).
In 2016, Richmond ranked in the top 20 in the country with a .308 average, its highest in over a decade. The team also ranked 15th nationally in doubles (127), fourth in doubles per game (2.44) and 32nd in slugging percentage (.454).
Tyner’s second season with the Spiders saw the team put up some of the best numbers in nearly a decade. The team led the conference with 57 home runs, while adding the most RBIs (337) since 2007.
Prior to his time in Richmond, Tyner spent two seasons as the head coach at Bellarmine University in Kentucky. He posted a 60-46 overall record and led the Knights to the GLVC championship in his second season.
He took over the program at Bellarmine after completing two different stints as the top assistant at Butler. During his seven years in Indianapolis, Tyner also coached several youth teams, winning back-to-back under-17 national titles as an assistant for the Indiana Bulls.
A highly successful collegiate player in his own right, Tyner was a four-year starter for the University of Miami, where he helped lead the Hurricanes to three College World Series. A power hitting outfielder, Tyner was named the 1980 Baskin Robbins Player of the Year and tied the Miami home run record.
Tyner was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the ninth round of the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft. He spent four years in the Orioles system, leading the entire organization in home runs in 1981 with 33, while hitting .301. His professional career came to a halt in 1983 after multiple surgeries for bone chips in his right elbow.
A native of Decatur, Illinois, Tyner completed his bachelor’s degree in business communications at Concordia University’s Indianapolis campus.
Tanner Biagini enters his sixth season with Towson baseball in 2023, being promoted to associate head coach starting in the 2022 season. Biagini works primarily with the catchers and hitters at Towson plus serves as the team’s third base coach.
During his first four years with the team, Towson has ranked in the top-3 in the CAA in caught stealing % by catchers, including first in 2018 and 2020. Individually, Trey Martinez was #1 in the CAA in 2018 and Burke Camper the same in 2020.
In his first year as associate head coach in 2022, Towson finished 10th in program history with 50 home runs in the season, including Burke Camper and Elijah Dickerson each having 10 home runs, the most amount of home runs for a Tiger in a single season since 2014. Two Tigers, Jack McLaughlin and Elijah Dickerson, earned All-CAA distinction on the Second Team and Honorable Mention respectively while Camper was honored as the Collegiate Baseball News National Player of the Week honor after hitting .545 with five home runs in four games.
In 2021, Biagini helped coach Towson to its first CAA Tournament since 2013 and the highest win total since 2014. Four of Towson’s top five hitters in batting average were newcomers. Burke Camper was named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List for national catcher of the year.
The 2020 season, shortened to 15 games due to the COVID-19 outbreak, saw Biagini’s hitters have some players rank in the top spots in the CAA. Newcomer Matt Arceo ranked in the top-6 in the league in each batting average, fourth at .395, and on-base percentage, sixth at .491. In addition, Brad Powers was third in the CAA with 16 RBI, averaging 1.33 RBI a game in 12 contests. Towson won five of its last six contests, including 21 runs vs. UMBC, the highest score in a game for Towson since 2011, plus had a pair of innings with at least nine runs plated.
In 2019, Biagini assisted with Javon Fields to be the first CAA All-Rookie Team member since 2016. Fields was the team leader in hits, runs, triples and stolen bases. Five different Tigers had at least 13 extra base hits, more than double the number the previous season.
Biagini helped with the hitting of Richie Palacios, who was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Indians in 2018. Palacios earned Second Team All-CAA at shortstop in 2018. Palacios became the fourth Tiger ever to reach the major leagues, making his debut for the Cleveland Guardians on April 25, 2022.
“I want to thank God for this opportunity and my family for all their support over the years,” said Biagini upon his hiring. “I would also like to thank Joe Kinney and his staff at Lafayette for taking a chance on me three years ago. I am extremely excited and grateful getting the chance to coach at Towson University. It is a surreal experience for me because my family lived in Towson every baseball season when my father coached for the Orioles. I am truly humbled that Coach Tyner asked me to be a part of his staff. He has been a great mentor of mine since we first met four years ago at the University of Richmond.”
“It’s not often that you get a chance to coach with the son of a man that you played for. Add that to Tanner’s ability to instruct in the areas of catching, hitting and corner infield, and to me, it was a no-brainer, we had to add Tanner to this staff,” said head coach Matt Tyner. “We will continue to recruit by committee and Tanner’s experience as the recruiting coordinator at Lafayette College will serve him well in this multi-dimensional role. Tanner brings a calm demeanor with him to the field every day and that quality will blend well with this staff.”
Biagini comes to Towson after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant at Lafayette College. In his role with the Leopards, Biagini worked with the hitters and catchers, while also handling pregame scouting reports.
Prior to his time at LC, Biagini spent three years as a volunteer assistant and camp director at the University of Richmond. The Spiders qualified for the Atlantic 10 tournament in each of his three seasons and advanced to the championship game in 2012.
Biagini spent the summer of the 2013 as the hitting coach for the Fayetteville Swampdogs of the Coastal Plain League. He helped coach six midseason all-stars and three postseason all-stars in his only season.
He has plenty of experience with camps and youth development. He spent time as the head coach of the Grenville Senior Babe Ruth team and the RBA-West U15 National team. He was also a camp instructor and speaker at various camps and clinics around the country.
In his playing days, Biagini was a four-year starting third baseman for the Virginia Military Institute. He served as a team captain his senior year as the Keydets reached their highest national ranking in program history, coming in at No. 26. He was a 2008 First-Team Virginia SID All-State selection. In 2007, he helped the team win a school-record 34 games.
In addition to his success at VMI, Biagini was also named the 2009 Amateur Player of the Year for the Pitt County Hot Stove League.
At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he became a member of the Tampa Bay Rays organization and played for the Gulf Coast League affiliate as an infielder and catcher in 2010 and with the New York-Penn League Hudson Valley Renegades in 2011.
Biagini graduated from VMI in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Biagini’s father, Greg, had a 10-year professional playing career after being selected in the 12th round by the Montreal Expos in 1973. Following his playing career, Greg spent 14 years managing in the farm systems for the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. He posted 937 victories and managed a pair of AAA championship teams, the 1990 Rochester Red Wings of the International League and the 1996 Oklahoma City 89ers of the American Association. He would also serve as the hitting coach for the Orioles from 1992-94.
In his first season coaching, the elder Biagini served as the coach of the instructional league team that featured Matt Tyner.
Biagini and his wife, Ashley, have two sons, Giovanni and Gabriele.
The 2023 season will be Ruppenthal’s first as the Towson baseball pitching coach.
Ruppenthal joins Towson after serving as the pitching coach at Oakland University since July. Prior to Oakland, he was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Tyler Junior College. In 2021, Tyler won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship. In addition, Ruppenthal was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) DIII National Assistant Coach of the Year. He concurrently served as the head coach of the Battle Creek Bombers, a collegiate summer baseball team, of the Northwoods League from Oct. 2018 to Aug. 2021.
Before Tyler, Ruppenthal held the pitching coach role with Bethany College from Sept. 2017 to Aug. 2018. From 2017 to 2018, the staff ERA improved by 1.3 runs under Ruppenthal’s leadership.
Ruppenthal’s playing career includes two Sun Conference championships with Southeastern University in 2014 and 2017. The team received a bid to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship game in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Ruppenthal finished top five all-time in pitching appearances in Southeastern University’s history.
Ruppenthal graduated from Southeastern with a Bachelor of Science in finance with a minor in sport management in 2016. He subsequently obtained his Master of Business Administration from Southeastern in 2018.
Valerio joins the Towson staff from Prep Baseball Report New Jersey, where he was responsible for evaluations, rankings and article publications on all talent in the state. A product of Eatontown, N.J., Valerio was a two-time all-conference honoree at Rowan-Gloucester C.C. Following that, he attended Southeastern University in Florida, where he was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American and won the 2018 NAIA World Series with Southeastern.
Valerio amassed 42 home runs and went to four World Series in his collegiate career, earning a spot on the 2019 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, which honors the nation’s best amateur player. While at Southeastern, Valerio spent a summer playing in the Cape Cod League with the Chatham Angelers. After college, Valerio played professional baseball with the Eastside Diamondhoppers, Windy City Thunderbolts and Somerset Patriots.
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Matt Tyner Baseball Camps at Towson
In accordance with NCAA regulations, camp attendance is only restricted by age, and any player who is currently enrolled in high school, or is a rising high school freshman, is eligible to attend.
No baseball camps or clinics owned or operated by MLT Sports Investments, LLC or Matthew Tyner are owned, operated or endorsed by Towson University or the University System of Maryland.
