Overwatch Coach of the Year Award. One of Murto’s top competitors, freshman Matthew Hutchings, has also been recognized with a selection to the NACE All-Stars first team.
Murto’s Overwatch team has been one of Blinn’s top squads since the program launched in the fall of 2020.
Between the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters, the Buccaneer Overwatch team earned a top-four finish in the NACE national tournament, as well as runner-up finishes in both the spring and fall NJCAA Esports national tournaments. The Bucs also placed inside the top 12 in the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup. As a member of the NACE league, the Bucs competed against two- and four-year collegiate teams.
(Pictured: Blinn College esports assistant coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto)
“This means the world to me,” said Murto. “It really puts all of the care and hard work I try to bring to our program into perspective. It also lets you know that not only are the people at Blinn noticing what we’re doing here, but also those at a national level.”
The Coach of the Year will be named later this month, but Murto said that being nominated was gratifying enough.
“Some of the best coaches in the nation are considered for this award,” he explained. “It means a lot to me to even be included on the same ballot as them. They’re phenomenal coaches and people.”
The Coach of the Year nominations are decided by NACE’s competition committee.
Hutchings, of Las Vegas, was a key component to the Bucs’ success during the 2023-24 season, and added to his virtual accomplishments and slew of academic success when he landed on both the fall and spring Don Wilhelm Athletic Director’s Honor Roll lists.
(Pictured: Blinn College freshman and Overwatch player Matthew Hutchings)
“It feels great to be an All-Star,” said Hutchings. “It feels like the grind was worth it, but I also know I wouldn’t have this award without having a great foundation around me. Between my teammates, my coaches, family and friends supporting and pushing me, I wouldn’t have accomplished any of this.”
While many of Blinn’s esports competitors often join the program with some sort of reputation within the esports world, Murto said Hutchings joined the program with little to no fanfare. That didn’t stop the first-year player from quickly improving his skills and ascending the ranks both within the program and nationally. Hutchings is now the Overwatch team captain and will resume that role when he returns for his sophomore campaign in 2024-25.
“When we signed Matthew, it was kind of a shot in the dark on our part,” Murto said. “He wasn’t a well-known player, but he immediately stepped up and became someone you wanted on your team. He put his ego aside and allowed himself to be coachable, and now he might be the best Overwatch player in program history. What he has done for our team and also as a student is nothing short of incredible, and this honor couldn’t have gone to a better person.”
Upon graduating from Blinn, Hutchings hopes to move on to a four-year university and continue his esports career while pursuing a degree in history.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 48 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
