California High School Softball Powerhouse Looking for a New Head Coach

Nicole Wise departs the program after serving as head coach for only one year.

A CIF softball is seen resting in the dirt in front of the pitcher's rubber after a CIF-SS Division 4 quarterfinal game in Indio, Calif., Wednesday, May 21, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Mater Dei High School, located in Santa Ana, California, is in search of a new head softball coach in the wake of an abrupt departure by former head coach Nicole Wise.

Wise coached the Monarchs during the 2026 season, finishing with an overall record of 19-11 and a Trinity League record of 4-5. She led Mater Dei to a runner-up finish in the 2026 CIF Southern Section Division 2 softball championship, losing to section champion Whittier Christian by a score of 5-3.

The school announced the hiring of Wise on September 8, 2025 via Instagram:

On July 13, after less than a full year on the job, a copy of the termination announcement by Mater Dei High School was posted on X.

A reason for the departure was not made public, only that it was "effective immediately."

Athletic Director Ken Miller stated, "The search for a new head coach will commence immediately." Miller thanked Wise for "her contributions to our softball program" and wished her well in future endeavors.

Softball: Mater Dei looking for a coach pic.twitter.com/TZR5oS4oxm

— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) July 14, 2026

Wise was preceded by Nicole Thomas, who coached the Monarchs from 2023 through 2025. She left the program in order to become the head coach at Vanguard University, a Division III program in Costa Mesa, California. Thomas coached the Monarchs to a second-place finish in the Trinity League in 2025 and a California state ranking of 26.

The Mater Dei High School Class of 2026 had four college commits: Savanah Duncan (Southern Utah University); Maikayla MacIsaac (Kenyon College); Nevaeh Sanchez (Manhattanville University) and Citlaly Valencia (University of California - Riverside).

The school has produced some famous softball alums such as Marissa Young, who played for the Monarchs in the late 1990's before starring at Michigan at the collegiate level. A three-time All-American at Michigan, Young is now the head softball coach at Duke.

Kelli Godin won Orange County Softball Player of the Year in 2018 while playing for the Monarchs. She went on to play collegiately at UCLA. Gabby Sandoval was an ace in the circle for Mater Dei in 2016 and played for UC San Diego.

Another alum, Tia Meza (formerly Tia Bollinger), was a pitcher for the Monarchs and won the Gatorade National High School Softball Player of the Year award in 2000. She finished her career with a 75-8 record and was a two-time All-American at the University of Washington.

Meza returned to coach her former high school team between 2013 and 2016. As the head coach of Mater Dei, Meza had an overall record of 65-27 according to MaxPreps. She led the Monarchs to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game in her final season. Her team was ranked fourth in the state that year. She was promoted to serve as the school's athletic director in 2016 and left that position in 2020 to accept a front-office position with the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.

Tia Meza coaching the Mater Dei Monarchs | From Orange County Register

Another former Mater Dei head coach who is well-known in the softball world is Sean Brashear, who currently serves as Championship & Communications Director for the Pacific Coast Fastpitch League (PCFL), a regional fastpitch league that is a member of The Alliance Fastpitch.

Prior to his involvement with the PCFL, Brashear was a highly successful coach in the Firecrackers travel ball organization. Brashear preceded Thomas as the head coach of Mater Dei from 2019 to 2022. He led the Monarchs to the CIF Division 1 quarterfinals in 2021 and a share of the Trinity League title in 2022.