University of San Francisco Athletics

3rd Season
Nevada '11

Mat Keplinger completed his second season on The Hilltop as the University of San Francisco baseball program's pitching coach in 2021, having been hired to join the Dons in the summer of 2019, and enters his third year on the staff as the Dons' pitching coach in 2022.

In Keplinger's first season, though shortened to only 17 games, the Dons saw their staff ERA lowered by more than a run from 2019. The staff also had a better-than 2-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio, a year after having a ratio of 1.76. USF went 7-2 in its final nine games played, with the pitching staff allowing four or less runs in six of those (the team went 6-0 in those games). Junior reliever Alex Pham was named West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 2-8, 2020, in Keplinger's first year at the helm of the staff.

In Keplinger’s second year with the program, Pham and senior starter Landon Bourassa earned West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week honors, for the weeks of February 23 and April 26, respectively. Bourassa, who would later go on to sign a free agent deal with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association of Professional Baseball, tied the program record for strikeouts in a game with 16 against Portland on April 23. As a team, the Dons limited opposing hitters to a .250 batting average in 2021, and struck out 438 batters. 

Keplinger came to the Hilltop after spending seven years as the pitching coach for California junior college powerhouse Delta College in Stockton, Calif. The Mustangs made seven consecutive "Elite Eight" appearances in the California Community College Athletic Association championship and five "Final Four" appearances, winning a state title in 2018, during his seven-year tenure. 

Keplinger built the Mustangs into a pitching powerhouse, producing 28 pitchers who transferred to NCAA Division I programs, nine MLB draft picks, four All-Americans, three Big 8 Conference Pitchers of the Year, two California State Pitchers of the Year, and two other pitcher of the year awards from the Pacific Association and the California Community College Sports Information Association. Keplinger's staff led all of California in strikeouts on three occasions, and also led the state in ERA in 2015.

Keplinger also served as the Delta College baseball program’s strength and conditioning coordinator, and the recruiting coordinator. He was an adjunct professor at Delta College, specializing in kinesiology and physical education.

Keplinger spent his college baseball playing days at Nevada from 2006-11, where he was a three-time all-Western Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference honoree while earning his bachelor’s in journalism. He also received a master’s in kinesiology from Fresno Pacific University in 2015.