Matt Deggs, Sam Houston State Bearkats

Matt Deggs, head coach of the Sam Houston State Bearkats, is living proof that God gives second chances to those who accept His guidance.

As the calendar flipped to 2011, Deggs was one of the top assistant coaches in college baseball while serving on the Texas A&M; Aggies staff under head coach Rob Childress. Most observers believed it was only a matter of time before Deggs would be leading one of the premier programs in the country. His rapid ascent, however, came to a sudden halt when Deggs was fired from his position as the Aggies’ hitting coach and recruiting coordinator due to his refusal to get help for his battle with alcoholism.

To that point, Deggs had succeeded everywhere he had been. After playing professional baseball for a couple of years in the independent ranks, he began as an assistant at Northwestern State. His next step included a five-year stint as head coach at Texarkana Junior College before serving as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas under head coach Dave Van Horn. Deggs was a part of the Razorback team that won a Southeastern Conference title and advanced to the College World Series. Shortly thereafter Deggs joined Childress in College Station, Texas, and helped the Aggies win a Big 12 title.

Relieved of his duties with the Aggies in 2011, Deggs spent 430 days on the outside looking in with college baseball. He loaded feed onto trucks and later worked in pharmaceutical sales. Finally, he was given a second chance to return to the game he loved when Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Tony Robichaux had a rare mid-season opening on his coaching staff. Deggs helped the Ragin’ Cajuns have two outstanding seasons, which enabled him to get the head coaching job at Sam Houston State.

Under Deggs’ direction, the Sam Houston State Bearkats have made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances while producing the first back-to-back 40-win seasons in Division I program history during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns.

The Sam Houston State Bearkats came away with a season to remember in 2017, capturing the program’s first ever berth in the NCAA Super Regionals. Sam Houston matched a Division I team record with 44 including three straight against Arizona and Texas Tech to win the NCAA Lubbock Regional and advance to the Tallahassee Supers.

Following the Sam Houston State Bearkats’ final loss to the Florida State Seminol...