Matt Schaeffer - Head Coach

The New Market Rebels announced Matt Schaeffer as it’s newest Head Coach for the upcoming 2019 summer in the Valley Baseball League. The Rebels are coming off a Championship season – it’s first since 2002.

After obtaining his bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University, Matt Schaeffer immediately entered the collegiate coaching ranks by accepting a position with the South Florida State College. At South Florida, Schaeffer’s primary role as the lone assistant is to manage the pitching staff and serve as the lead recruiter on the road. In his first year with the club, the Panthers saw their regular season and SunCoast conference win totals rise (27 overall, 13 conference) to its highest total in over six seasons.

In past summers, Schaeffer has led multiple teams to the South Florida Collegiate League Championship Series. In 2018, Schaeffer was announced head coach and general manager of the newly formed Palm Beach Diamond Ducks. His team would go on to win 27 games, lead numerous categories, and see a league-leading 14 players named to the SFCBL All-Star Game. Eight Ducks would be recognized at the conclusion of the season with All-SFCBL First and Second team honors.

As a player, Schaeffer pitched in multiple roles throughout his collegiate career. Serving as an option at the front and back-end of games, Schaeffer would continuously find himself competing against top level talent. As a freshman at Florida A&M, Schaeffer would garner seven starts- against the likes of Florida Gulf Coast, Stetson, and UCF. This would set up to prime him moving forward into his sophomore year, when he transferred to nationally-recognized Tallahassee Community College. At TCC, Schaeffer pitched in one of the nations top junior college conferences (Panhandle Conference) and would go on to gather three decisions against Northwest Florida State- the team that would go on to win the NJCAA World Series that year. At the completion of his sophomore year, Schaeffer would decide to leave the state and call Boone, North Carolina home. Playing for the Mountaineers of Appalachian State would provide him an opportunity to compete in the Sun Belt Conference, while also facing the likes of Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Missouri.

Playing in the summers, Schaeffer suited up for the Rockville Express of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. In both years, he was atop the league in ERA, Saves, and Appearances.

Growing up watching his brother and father on the baseball field proved to be influential for Schaeffer’s career. His father, Frank, has coaching experience at the Division-I, junior college, and high school levels. Frank is co-founder of six-time national champion All-American Prospect summer program, which saw the likes of more than 150 players sign college scholarships and over 50 selected in the MLB Draft; including the likes of Manny Machado, Nick Castellanos, Paco Rodriguez, Sam Dyson, Kevin Quackenbush, Albert Almora, and Robby Scott. Matt’s brother, Chris Schaeffer, played four years at North Carolina State University and would go on to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. Currently, Chris coaches in the Blue Jays organization. These two would help Matt’s passion and motivation form throughout the years, providing him an excellent platform for growth as a player and a coach.

Growing up in South Florida, Schaeffer worked to excel with baseball and academic honors throughout his career. Academically, Schaeffer made numerous appearances on Dean’s Lists, President’s Lists, and garnered multiple academic awards, including a NJCAA Academic All-American award in his sophomore year