The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Associate Head Athletic Performance Coach
CSCS, RSCC, PN Level 1, CF Olympic Weightlifting
University of San Diego – BA Communications, 2009
University of San Diego – MS in Global Leadership, 2018
Matt Couch is in his fifth season as Associate Head Athletic Performance Coach for Texas Baseball in 2024. Couch came to Texas after eight years in a similar role at the University of San Diego.
During Couch’s five seasons with Texas Baseball, the Longhorns have won two Big 12 Conference Championships, competed in four-consecutive NCAA Regionals, three NCAA Super Regionals and advanced to the College World Series twice. Additionally, Couch has worked with 31 players who have earned a total of 40 All-Big 12 honors, including two league players of the year and two conference pitchers of the year. Eight Longhorns have also been named as All-Americans, while Ivan Melendez was named the 2022 Golden Spikes Award winner. Melendez is the second Golden Spikes Award winner that Couch has trained, after San Diego’s Kris Bryant won the award in 2013.
Numerous Longhorn players have gone onto professional baseball during Couch’s time with the program. Since 2020, there have been 21 Texas players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft.
The Longhorns have also experienced a significant power surge with Couch’s guidance in the weight room. Over the last three seasons, Texas has produced the three highest home run totals in school history. The Longhorns hit a program record 128 homers in 2022, then followed that up with 91 in 2023 and eclipsed the 100-homer mark again in 2024. The 2022 team had seven players with double-digit homer runs, including the national leader and Golden Spikes Award winner Ivan Melendez. Every regular starter on the 2023 team reached a new career-high in homers and five players reached double-digits.
At San Diego, Couch served as the baseball program's strength and conditioning coach during a period that saw 41 players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft since 2012. Among those players, four have played in the MLB, including the Chicago Cubs' All-Star Kris Bryant.
Couch helped to guide the program to six seasons with 30 or more wins and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to his role with the baseball program, Couch also worked with the softball, men's soccer, women's soccer and men's crew programs while assisting with football in the weight room.
Before beginning his coaching career at San Diego, Couch was an accomplished student-athlete for the Toreros baseball program. He was a three-time All-West Coast Conference pitcher who helped lead USD to three-straight NCAA postseason appearances from 2006-08. He compiled a career record of 23-11 in 65 total appearances and 44 starts. He pitched more than 300 career innings and twice in his career eclipsed the 100-inning mark. In 2007, he was named a Cape Cod League All-Star.
Couch graduated with a degree in communications from the University of San Diego and later received a master's degree in global leadership from USD. He is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach. Couch also holds certification from CrossFit in Olympic Weightlifting.
A native of Sacramento, Calif., Couch and his wife, Sophia, have two sons, Carter (their angel in heaven) and Hudson.
