Matt Baldridge will enter his second year as an assistant coach for the Skyhawks in 2025. A former five-year forward under head coach David Oberholtzer from 2019-23 and a 2023 RMAC Regular Season Champion, Baldridge brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of Oberholtzer's approach on the pitch.
Fort Lewis made its deepest run in the NCAA Tournament in 2024 since winning it all back in 2011, making an appearance in the NCAA National Quarterfinal against No. 15 CSU Pueblo (Dec. 7). The Skyhawks finished the regular season in third place before making a run to, and falling in, the RMAC Tournament Title match. Fort Lewis earned the sixth seed in the region for the NCAA Tournament and defeated No. 3 UCCS (Nov. 24) and (RV) Midwestern State (Dec. 1) on the road to reach the quarterfinals.
The Skyhawks were one of the best defensive teams in the country in 2024, boasting the sixth-most shutouts (11) and 25th-lowest team goals-against average (0.991). Sophomore and Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection Lucas Martin stood between the posts and boasted the second-best save percentage (84.4%), made the fifth-most saves (92), and tied for the fourth-most shutouts (10) in Division II. Junior David Citron had an incredible year on the offensive end for Fort Lewis, earning a plethora of all-conference and all-region honors, culminating in being named a College Sports Communicators First-Team Academic All-American and Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association Third-Team All-American. In addition, seniors Tomas Duenes, Gabriel Legendre, Jakob Larson, and junior Casey Stracher earned nods to the D2CCA and USC All-South Central Region Teams. All six Skyhawks were tabbed with All-RMAC honors, while freshman Fabrizio Aguilera was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year, giving Fort Lewis the award in back-to-back seasons.
As a player, Baldridge registered 15 starts across his 49 career games and 2,259 minutes on the pitch for the Skyhawks. At forward, Baldridge supplied five career goals and two career assists on 25 total shots, 11 of which were placed on-goal.
Baldridge was a 2019 graduate of Hellgate High School in Missoula, Montana.
