TCL skipper set to replace Largent as Falcons’ head coach
08:59 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 21, 2006
By Jake Floyd / Staff Writer
Derek Matlock
Derek Matlock is in his final season as the head coach of the Denton Outlaws, but he will not be leaving the area.
Matlock was hired Monday as the Lake Dallas head baseball coach. He replaces Stacy Largent, who left for McKinney Boyd less than a month ago.
“We had over 100 applicants for the job and a lot of good people, but he’s been around, people know him and he’s the best fit for us,” Lake Dallas Athletics Director Scott Head said. “We’re all excited to have him here.”
Matlock has spent the last two years as a volunteer assistant coach at TCU and head coach of the Denton Outlaws. He led the Outlaws to the Texas Collegiate League title in 2005 in their first season.
Prior to that he began the baseball program at Flower Mound in 1999 and took the Jaguars to the state tournament in 2004. He also was the head coach at Fort Worth Eastern Hills, where he earned Coach of the Year honors from both The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star Telegram in 1998.
Matlock said he recently realized the college level was not where he wanted to be and is excited about getting back to high school.
“I spent two years in the college game and it’s just not for me,” Matlock said. “I haven’t seen my kids in two years. This is close to where I’ve been before in Flower Mound and it’s a one-horse town and that caught my attention. It’s the only high school in town so I can get involved in the little leagues and be involved with these kids all the way up.”
Lake Dallas went 51-31 the past three seasons under Largent and made the playoffs 11 seasons in a row, including twice in its first two years in Class 4A. Nevertheless, Matlock, whose record as a high school head coach is 251-67, plans on treating the program like it’s in its first year.
“I’m going in and building from the ground up like it’s a new program because I’m probably a lot different than the guy they had here,” Matlock said. "They've had some success there but I don't know if they've had what they could've the past few years."
Lake Dallas is expected to return five regular starters next season.
My son is a senior so we will only get one year with him. Wait a minute, I don't think my clock has expired yet, I need to talk to my wife.
