Jacksonville University baseball welcomed one of its own, Matt Loosen, back to serve as a volunteer assistant on staff for the 2022 season.
Loosen pitched for the Dolphins from 2007-10 under the leadership of Head Coach Terry Alexander. He closed out JU's win in the ASUN Conference Championship Final vs. Lipscomb in 2009 and left JU as the then-All-Time Strikeout leader in program history, and is still third all-time. He was drafted in the 23rd Round of the MLB Draft in 2010 by the Chicago Cubs.
He played in the Cubs organization from 2010-15, then pitched for the New Jersey Jackals of the Canadian American League and Laredo Lemurs of the American Association from 2016-18. He threw a no-hitter against the Dunedin Blue Jays (TOR - High-A) in 2013 and had a 22-inning "no-hit streak" over the course of three starts in 2013 with the Daytona Cubs (High-A). He was an All-Star selection in the Florida State League in 2012 and was one of five players in the Cubs organization chosen to represent the parent club in the Arizona Fall League in 2013 as a relief pitcher.
He won three professional championships, the Florida State League twice with Daytona and the American Association once with Laredo. He retired in 2018 from professional baseball following shoulder surgery.
After retiring, he completed his degree in sports management and served as the Director of Baseball Operations for an indoor facility called JJVA/The Sports Edge in Jacksonville from 2019-22. He also coached travel ball for the Ponte Vedra Thunder for seven years alongside fellow JU baseball alum Talmadge Nunnari.
Loosen is a native of Long Island, N.Y., and prepped at Chaminade High School before coming south to play for the Dolphins. His younger brother also played for JU from 2012-13, and served as the starting shortstop and a team captain. Matt now resides in Neptune Beach, Fla.
