Concordia Irvine Athletics

Matt McConnell begins his sixth season at Concordia as an assistant coach under Ken Ammann.

Last year he helped guide the Eagles to their first NCAA DII tournament berth in program history.

In 2015-2016, CUI finished tied for first in the PacWest Conference, the best finish ever by a first-year member.  Stephen Grosey and JT Roach were selected All-PacWest, and Grosey was tabbed All-Region. In 2016-2017, the Eagles went 17-11. 

In the final year in the GSAC, the Eagles finished with a 27-8 overall record and 13-3 record in conference play.  They earned a spot in the NAIA Tournament for the 11^th time, advancing to the round of 16. 

McConnell spent the 2013-2014 season as an assistant at Citrus College under former Concordia player and assistant coach Chris Victor.

He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Dobson High School in Mesa, AZ, working under his father Rick McConnell.  He helped lead Dobson to three state tournament appearances in his three seasons.

McConnell attended Central Arizona College, where he was a dual-sport athlete, starting two seasons for the basketball and baseball teams.  His freshman season he finished second in the country in free throw percentage (92%), while leading his team in three point shooting and assists.

He finished his baseball career at Metro State University of Denver where he was drafted in the 36th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.  He played two seasons of minor league baseball in Phillies’ organization and one year of Independent League Baseball.

McConnell’s father and grandfather have combined to win over 1,400 career games at the high school level. His younger brother Mickey played basketball at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, CA and currently plays professionally in Europe.

He received his bachelor’s in sports industry operations from Metro State in 2009.  He earned his master’s in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia.

McConnell and his wife, Michael’Ann, live in Laguna Hills.