MATT PIKER took over as head coach for the baseball team in September 2022. In his first season, the Saints compiled a record of 30-20 and a berth in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) postseason tournament. This was the program’s fourth consecutive 30-win season. Alec Martinez (RHP) received First-Team All-RRAC honors. Martinez finished the season with an ERA of 1.96, which put him in the Top 10 nationally. Joshua Mendez (LHP), Caimyn Holiday (INF) and Jackson Kalisky (OF) each received Second-Team awards. Mendez earned the conference’s Gold Glove Award for his position and Kalisky was awarded Freshman of the Year, the second year in a row that a Saint has won that honor. During the 2023 campaign the Saints broke several season and program records. Jacob Montejano set the program record for Hit by Pitch (31), Caimyn Holiday set the single-season record for runs (55), and Jackson Kalisky set the season record for home runs (13) and RBI (73). Under Piker’s leadership, Saints Baseball also continued their tradition of success in the classroom by having a team GPA above 3.0.

He joined the Saints' coaching staff in September 2021 as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. The team finished its season with a 31-24 overall record and a berth in the RRAC postseason tournament. 

Piker's pitching staff had an impressive season in 2022. Brett Vasquez was named to the RRAC First-Team All-Conference. He became the Saints' second all-time leader in strikeouts, third all-time leader in shutouts and fourth all-time leader in wins. Vasquez also had the team's most strikeouts in a season in 2022 with 129 under Piker's management. The Saints' 31 wins are the second most in team history, and they recorded their most conference wins ever with 22. The pitching staff also marked the most wins at home with 22 and the most strikeouts with 502.

Before arriving at OLLU, Piker was at Mayville State University (MSU), where he was the pitching coach for four seasons. During his time with the Comets, Piker was a member of two successful seasons that resulted in the 2018 North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) regular-season championships and the 2021 NSAA Conference Tournament Championships. 

Piker coached six NSAA First Team All-Conference award winners while at MSU. Mason Swegarden earned honors as the 2018 NSAA Conference Pitcher of the Year and was named an All-American, and Kenny Stewart also was named an All-American during the 2021 campaign. In 2021, the MSU pitching staff finished the season ranked in the Top 15 in the country in ERA and averaged just more than eight strikeouts per game.

Before MSU, Piker was a graduate assistant at Arkansas Tech University (ATU) from 2015-2017. While earning his Master of Science in College Student Personnel, he oversaw the outfielders, coached first base and coached the pitching staff. Several of his players also won postseason awards under his tutelage there.

Piker arrived at ATU from the University of the Ozarks, where he also played and began his coaching career after receiving his Bachelor of Science in Physical and Health Education.

For the past 10 years, Piker has been a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association. He has been actively involved with collegiate summer ball throughout his career. He was the assistant coach of the Briarcliffe Seagulls in the Beach Collegiate Baseball League in 2015 and the head coach of the Chesterfield Vipers in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate League from 2016-2017.

Piker and his wife of six years, Haley, reside in San Antonio.