Matt Palm
Matt Palm

Bio

Matt Palm is entering his third year at the helm of the Oilers baseball program in the 2023-24 season. Since taking over the program in 2021, he has seen eight of his players earn all-conference accolades, including two first team picks.

The 2023 season was a historic one for the University of Findlay baseball team. The Oilers finished the season as the third team standing in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament, falling in the consolation final after winning three consecutive elimination games. Their record of 32-22 is the best in the NCAA era of the program and had the Oilers on the verge of making the program's first NCAA Regional appearance. Their 32 wins established a new program record for season wins, breaking the 2008 record of 28 wins.

In his inaugural season, Palm led the team to a 18-31 overall record and 13-17 record in conference play. Palm coached four of his players to all-Great Midwest honors. 

Palm came to Findlay after spending the last 23 years at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio where he coached for 15 seasons and also spent 14 years as the Director of Athletics. As a coach at Heidelberg, Palm, who began as the head baseball coach in 2000, led the Student Prince, who were consistently ranked top-25 in the country, to a record of 459-209-2 (.685), won five Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular-season titles and four OAC tournament titles, and made six NCAA regional appearances including a trip to the NCAA DII World Series in 2010. The six-time OAC Coach of the Year mentored 13 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) all-Americans, eight D3baseball.com all-Americans, and two ABCA National Golden Glove Award winners. Prior to coaching at Heidelberg, Palm spent time as an assistant coach at Indiana University and Emory University.

As the Director of Athletics, Palm, a 1995 graduate of the College of Wooster, helped coordinate the creation of three new athletic facilities for the Student Prince and oversaw the H Association, Heidelberg's athletic fundraising effort.

Palm resides in Tiffin along with his wife Michelle. He has four children, Sam, who attended Findlay and played baseball for the Oilers from 2017-20, Nick, Cecilia, and Charlie.