Episode 20: 400 Local Wins and Counting: Fox Lane Baseball’s Matt Hillis on Leadership, Life Lessons, and Lou Gehrig

This week on Local Matters Westchester, we’re joined by longtime Fox Lane Varsity baseball coach Matt Hillis, who has led the program for more than 20 years.Fresh off guiding the Foxes to the Section 1 Class AA title and a run to the state championship game, Hillis reflects on his journey—from giving up his own pro playing dreams as a young man to parlaying that passion into a coaching career that’s made him a local legend. He taught hitting at Columbia, and then Army, where he absorbed the West Point culture and brought those expectations of focus and hard work back to Bedford.Following his 400th career win this past spring, Hillis shares what made this year’s team so special and what it takes to build a true program culture at the high school level, not just coach a team.We also talk about local sportsmanship in the social media age—where players sometimes take shots at opponents’ personal lives and coaches too often look the other way—and how he addresses that.Hillis weighs in on the growing local umpire shortage, whether pitch counts are truly supported by data, and reflects on coaching standout players in recent years, including Fox Lane alums Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates; Tyler Renz, drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round of the 2024 draft; and Michael Lombardi, selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round this past July.He also shares how a negative experience with his own high school coach in Rockland County shaped his philosophy of turning player weaknesses into strengths.We touch on his decision to become a biology teacher (but not a chiropractor), and now that he’s retired from teaching, whether he has any plans to hang up his coaching cleats.On the lighter side, you’ll hear why his dream dinner guest list includes Anthony Bourdain, JFK, and Lou Gehrig.