MSU Billings Baseball Camps

Head Coach Derek Waddoups

Derek Waddoups enters his fourth season as Montana State University Billings head baseball coach in 2022-23.

In the spring of 2022, Waddoups guided the Yellowjackets to the GNAC Championships tournament with a third-place finish in the league standings at 26-27 overall and 16-16 in conference play. Cooper Dulich was the first player in program history to earn the GNAC Freshman of the Year award.

In his first season at the helm in the spring of 2020, the Yellowjackets finished 11-6-1 overall in a conference season cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

After a 12-year stint as assistant baseball coach at Salt Lake City Community College. At SLCC, his duties included recruiting coordinator and hitting coach, along with coaching the catching and supervising the strength and conditioning and position player speed and development programs.

Waddoups leaves one of the premier junior college programs in the country in SLCC. Last season, the Bruins finished 36-13 and 26-7 in the conference. The team played three games in the Region 18 tournament but ultimately fell to College of Southern Idaho. During his stead as an assistant at SLCC, the Bruins held a record of 434-233 (.651 winning percentage). He also played a key role in moving 85 players on to 4-year institutions or professional baseball.

Off the diamond, Waddoups was the lead instructor for the renowned 'Know Greater Heroes' (KGH) leadership program involving SLCC student-athletes. Waddoups taught a leadership course to student-athletes prior to traveling through the community to perform elementary school assemblies. KGH is an educational and motivational program that takes Bruin athletes, coaches, and the Bruin Bear mascot to local elementary schools promoting healthy lifestyles, a drug-free life and leadership from within.

"One thing that stood out to me was his core values of optimism, positive energy, and servant leadership," Montague said. "Coach Waddoups is not only committed to have a competitive and successful team on the field, but also is passionate about building a program that will create well rounded individuals. His strong commitment to helping his players earn a degree was impressive as well. Coach Waddoups career up to this point has allowed him to learn how to manage all aspects of a successful baseball program."

Prior to joining the Bruin staff, Waddoups spent the 2007 season at the University of Texas-Brownsville as the pitching coach, and spent the 2005-06 seasons at Bellevue University as the hitting and catching coach where they were participants in the 2006 NAIA World Series. Derek spent the summer of 2006 with the Wisconsin Woodchucks in the Northwoods League as the pitching coach.

As a player, Waddoups led Bellevue University to the NAIA World Series twice, finishing third in 2003 and sixth in 2004. He was a two-year team captain and All-Region catcher in 2003 and 2004 and was an Academic All-American in 2004 and received the National "Champion of Character' award. Before his time at Bellevue, Derek played at the College of Eastern Utah where he was an all-region player and team captain.

A graduate of Roy High School in Utah, Waddoups lettered in football, basketball and baseball and was named Athlete-of-the-Year as a senior. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Torreon, Mexico.

Waddoups received his master’s degree in Leadership from Bellevue University in 2006. Derek is married to Carly Waddoups and the couple has four children, two son's and two daughters. Paisley, Paxon, Porter, and Pepper.