Alabama Baseball Announces Matt Reida Returning as Assistant Coach
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon officially announced the hiring of Matt Reida on Monday. Reida, who spent last season at the University of Pittsburgh, rejoins the Crimson Tide staff, this time as an assistant coach after serving as a volunteer assistant coach for UA from 2019-20.
BamaCentral had reported the move was expected on Saturday.
“It was an easy decision for me to bring Matt back to our staff at Alabama, especially after he did such a great job during his previous time here,” Bohannon said in a statement. “Having played for me at Kentucky and working with us for two years at Alabama, Matt is familiar with exactly how I want our team to be coached. He has also always had a really good connection with our players. His recruiting ties in the Midwest and Northeast will supplement our Southeast recruiting base and will allow us to capitalize on the Alabama national brand.”
Reida returns to Tuscaloosa after spending the 2021 season at Pitt as an assistant coach. While in Pittsburgh, Reida directed the infield defense while also assisting with the Panthers’ offensive approach and recruiting efforts. His work on the infield helped Pitt post a .979 fielding percentage, good for fourth in the ACC and 22nd nationally.
Prior to his time in Pittsburgh, Reida was a volunteer assistant coach for the Crimson Tide for two seasons from 2019-20. He joined the Alabama staff after spending the 2018 season at Xavier, serving as an assistant coach for the Musketeers while also holding the title of recruiting coordinator. He worked primarily with the Xavier hitters while also focusing on infield defense and recruiting duties. Under his tutelage, the Musketeers set the school record for home runs with 68, a total that led the Big East and was 21 homers better than second-place St. John’s. He also tutored Xavier’s everyday shortstop Chris Givin to finalist honors for an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove.
Reida’s first coaching stint came at Indiana from 2016-17. During his two seasons in Indiana, Reida focused on the Hoosiers’ infielders, hitters and baserunners. In his first season in Bloomington, the Indiana defenders posted a then-school-record .975 fielding percentage. The defense was highlighted by Tony Butler, who earned ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove recognition after an errorless season at second base. One year later, the Hoosiers improved on that .975 number to set a new program record for fielding percentage at .979
He joined the Indiana staff following time as the director of player development and recruiting for CageRat Baseball in Colorado Springs, Colo. The organization worked with prep baseball players in the Midwest region, assisting them in the process of obtaining a college scholarship and eventually playing professionally. Reida’s responsibilities included athlete and camp recruitment, managing player development, organizing team travel and hiring coaches and camp staff.
A former collegiate player at Kentucky, Reida was a member of the Wildcat baseball team from 2011-14, where he was coached by Bohannon. The former infielder made 199 career starts at shortstop for UK, tying him for fifth all-time in program history. He ended his career in Lexington with 214 games of action, placing him fourth all-time at UK. A standout in the classroom, Reida was selected to the SEC Academic Honor Roll on three different occasions from 2012-14.
Following his time at UK, Reida spent time professionally with the Tampa Bay Rays organization in 2014.
Reida graduated from Kentucky with a degree in communications in 2014, graduating Magna Cum Lauda with a 3.69 grade point average. He is a native of Kokomo, Ind.
