TOLEDO, Ohio – Head Coach Rob Reinstetle announced two new additions to the Toledo Baseball coaching staff on Wednesday. Matt Silberman was named the program's new pitching coach and Cal McAninch is back with the Rockets as the team's director of pitching development.
 
Silberman comes to Toledo from California Baptist University, where he was the volunteer assistant coach for the last two seasons. McAninch finished up his collegiate career in May, and after a brief stint playing professionally in Canada for the Winnipeg Goldeyes is back in the fold with Toledo.
 
Matt Silberman | Pitching Coach
In two seasons at Cal Baptist, Silberman helped mentor two MLB draft picks as well as 2023 WAC Pitcher of the Year Liam Rocha. Former CBU pitchers CJ Culpepper (2022) and Spencer Bengard (2023) were selected in the 13^th and 15^th rounds of the draft, respectively.
 
In 2023, Silberman had the CBU pitching staff ranking in the top third of the WAC in ERA, hits allowed per nine innings, and strikeouts per nine innings. The Lancers went 36-20 and 18-12 for a runner-up finish in the WAC West Division in 2022, Silberman's first season, and he mentored Culpepper to Second-Team All-WAC honors as well.
 
"I am beyond excited to join the Rocket family and become a part of a winning and massively successful athletic department and university," Silberman said. "I fully believe and am committed to the vision and culture that Coach Reinstetle has developed for the baseball program. I am looking forward to helping develop our pitching staff as well as recruit the right student-athletes to have Toledo baseball be a consistent post-season competitor. Go Rockets!"
 
Prior to his stint at CBU, Silberman worked at Mt. San Antonio College, where he worked with the pitching staff and the strength and conditioning program.
 
Silberman pitched collegiately at Vanguard University where he was an All-Region First Team Selection in 2016.  He helped lead his team to the NAIA World Series in 2015 and was part of the two most successful seasons in Vanguard history. He earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Vanguard and his master's degree in Exercise Science and Coaching from Concordia University in Irvine.
 
Rob Reinstetle on Matt Silberman: "I couldn't be happier to announce Matt Silberman as our new pitching coach. Matt was highly recommended to us by some people I really trust in the industry. He has a tremendous amount of pitching knowledge and is a very energetic individual to be around. We cast a wide net when looking to fill this position. We talked to coaches from all levels of baseball, from the professional ranks to the various levels of college baseball. Matt rose to the top and was clearly the best person for the job. Any time you set out to hire a new coach you want to make the transition for the players in the program to be a seamless as possible. I feel like Matt is the right person at the right time for Toledo Baseball. We have a very talented group of pitchers and I'm excited to watch them flourish under Matt's watch."
 
Cal McAninch | Director of Pitching Development
Nobody appeared in more games on the mound for Toledo over the last three seasons than Cal McAninch, and now he will be tasked with assisting Silberman in working with the UT pitching staff.

"I am very excited to be returning to the Rockets as a coach," McAninch said. "Having been a player on the team for the last three seasons, I am confident in the culture that Coach Reinstetle has been building since he first arrived on campus. I look forward to working alongside Coach Matt to help develop the Rockets' pitching staff and continue the growth and success of the Toledo baseball program. Go Rockets!"
 
McAninch earned second-team All-MAC honors as a senior last year, capping a three-year Rocket career in which he appeared in 72 games out of the bullpen. In 2023, he ranked third in the MAC and led all qualified relief pitchers with a 3.02 ERA, and ranked eighth in the MAC in batting average against (.224). McAninch also tied for the team lead with 26 pitching appearances, the third straight season in which he led or tied for the lead in most games pitched for UT. He struck out 48 and walked just 18 and tied for the team lead with three saves.
 
McAninch, a communication major from Columbus, Ohio, ended his senior season with a dominant stretch of 26.0 scoreless innings that spanned his final nine outings. He posted a sub-3.00 ERA in MAC play (2.86) across 14 appearances against conference competition.
 
Rob Reinstetle on Cal McAninch: "If you have followed Toledo Baseball in the past three years, you know that Cal McAninch has been simply magnificent for us.  In his time here, he was one of the most dominant pitchers in the MAC. Cal just finished playing professional baseball and expressed an interest in getting into coaching and I jumped at the opportunity to bring him back onto our staff. One of Cal's best attributes was his fierce competitive nature and maximizing his abilities. Cal will be an asset to Coach Silberman and our pitching staff in a variety of ways. I'm really happy to have him back with us and look forward to watching him grow from player to a coach."