Matt Youngblood enters his sixth season as Assistant Coach for the Erskine College baseball program.
Coach Matt Youngblood lettered four years at Travelers Rest High School in Travelers Rest, South Carolina (2003-2006). Youngblood was named All-Region and All-State catcher in 2006. The TR receiver participated in the South Carolina Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star games. In 2007, he was captain of SC District 1 Big League World Series Champions. He led this team in RBI’s.
Youngblood started for two years at Blue Ridge Community College, playing catcher, first base, and designated hitter. Blue Ridge won over sixty games during this time. He was among team leaders in on-base-percentage, fielding percentage, and batting average.
Youngblood transferred to Erskine for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Erskine won seventy-seven games and claimed its first ever NCAA postseason victory. Head coach Kevin Nichols nicknamed Youngblood “Sparky” calling him the team leader during this celebrated time in Flying Fleet baseball. Nichols made many references to Youngblood’s ability to come up with clutch hits igniting rallies or driving in critical runs. He was also credited with managing the game from behind the plate. Youngblood completed his four-year college career with an overall .310 batting average and committed only 5 errors. His career fielding percentage was .995.
