TAHLEQUAH - Northeastern State Head Baseball Coach Kyle Williams announced updates to his coaching staff for the 2025-26 academic year. Former NSU student-athlete Cole White will return to Rousey Field along with the additions of Adam Scoggins and Matt Schilling.

Cotton Nye, a veteran on the diamond, returns for his fourth season at NSU. Logan Rutledge stays on-board for his second season with the RiverHawks' coaching staff.  

Schilling

Matthew Schilling began his collegiate playing career at Cowley County Community College (2020–21), where the team was able to reach the NJCAA World Series. He spent the 2021–22 season at Carl Albert State College before finishing his playing career with three seasons at Arkansas-Fort Smith. Schilling will lead the development of infielders at NSU and help Coach Williams with the hitters.

"Coach Schilling has been with multiple programs and it's given him the vision of what it takes to be successful in the MIAA," Williams says. 

"His infield plan will help us develop RiverHawks into high level defenders, as well as his experiences at the plate [from] being an everyday starter at the college level. He is a guy with immense passion for the game of baseball and our players will feel that from day one."

Scoggins

Adam Scoggins comes to NSU following a five-year professional career and a standout collegiate run as a left-handed reliever. Scoggins began his college career at Crowder College (2017-18), where he played under Coach Williams. Scoggins transferred to Oral Roberts University, where he pitched from 2019 to 2021. In his final season at ORU, he posted a 2.88 ERA with seven saves and 46 strikeouts over 25 innings, earning Second Team All-Summit League honors and finishing runner-up for Reliever of the Year. During the same summer, he competed in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, where Scoggins dominated with a 0.00 ERA and a staggering 22.7 K/9, allowing no hits during his time on the mound.

Scoggins went on to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and pitched two seasons in their minor league system. He later continued his pro career with the Ogden Raptors (Pioneer League), helping lead them to a league championship over two seasons, and wrapped up his playing days with the Lincoln Saltdogs (American Association).

Scoggins will work with the pitchers and brings a development-focused mindset, professional-level insight, and a passion for mentoring to the RiverHawks.

"Adam's experience throughout all levels of baseball will bring a wealth of knowledge to our pitching staff," Williams noted. "Going through the process of building himself from a good high school player into arguably one of the best relievers in college baseball his senior year gave him insight many players don't get anywhere else.

"He knows first hand what it takes to succeed at the college level as well as the professional level. I'm excited to share a dugout with Coach Scoggins after spending a lot of time with him as a player."

White

Originally from Broken Arrow,  White played at Fort Scott Community College during the 2022 season, and transferred to Northeastern State in 2023, playing two seasons for the RiverHawks. White went on and used his final year of eligibility at Missouri Southern in 2025, where he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science. White will be working with the pitchers as well as assisting with recruiting efforts.

"Being a Broken Arrow native, Cole has a very strong understanding of the recruiting landscape throughout Northeast Oklahoma as well as the JUCO level [through] playing in the Jayhawk conference before he attended NSU and finished up at Missouri Southern," Williams said. "His ability to portray what athletes need to do to get better on the mound will help us immensely this year."

Nye

Nye is a well-seasoned coach whose baseball career has spanned decades. After playing college baseball and basketball at Westark College (presently UA-Fort Smith) and the University of the Ozarks, Nye played for the Cleveland Indians organization as an infielder and outfielder.  He later moved on to being an MLB scout for 25 years, which was split between three organizations: the Philadelphia Phillies, later the Seattle Mariners, and the New York Yankees.

Nye has signed 22 amateurs who went on to play in the majors and has two World Series Rings (1980 Phillies and 1996 Yankees).  Nye has 20 years of experience as a high school baseball and basketball coach, with ten state baseball tournament trips and three state basketball appearances. In 2017, he won a state baseball title at Oktaha High School.

"There aren't many people with more variety in their baseball journey than Coach Nye," William said. "The number of players he's mentored over his career is hard to put into words. I'm very excited to work with someone with the level of experience as well as connections throughout the game as Cotton."

Rutledge

A native of Edmond, Rutledge played collegiate baseball at multiple schools and finished up at NSU as a catcher. Following graduation, Rutledge shifted his career to coaching and will bring leadership and intensity to his role on the staff, working with the team's catchers and outfielders. He will coach both third and first base during games, along with assisting in all aspects of the program, including defensive development, base running, and daily practice operations.

"Logan is a tireless worker that has already made a big impact on the program being here last year on staff," Williams said. "Having played at a high level behind the plate during his playing days, he knows the ins and outs of the catching position. His experience doing the majority of day-to-day work will pay dividends to our team this year on top of his baseball knowledge."