Social Media Personality Takes Over as Southern Utah Softball Head Coach

Known for his viral softball content and signature dad jokes, Southern Utah's new head coach is bringing a unique blend of personality, passion, and coaching experience to the Division I program.

Southern Utah has hired Matt Lisle as its new head softball coach. | Southern Utah Athletics

The internet's most-followed hitting coach has been hired as the new head softball coach at Southern Utah.

Southern Utah Director of Athletics Myndee Kay Larsen announced the hiring of Matt Lisle on Thursday.

Lisle brings 23 years of collegiate and professional coaching experience with stops in the Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, Mountain West and Major League Baseball.

The new leader of the Thunderbirds also has quite the following on social media because of his dad jokes. His Facebook page has more than 480,000 followers and his Twitter has collected upwards of 150,000.

"I am incredibly grateful to Myndee Kay Larsen and President Mindy Benson for the opportunity to lead Thunderbirds softball, and for the trust they have placed in me and my family," Lisle said in a press release. "This is a special moment for Southern Utah, a new conference, a new ballpark, and a roster of young women I cannot wait to pour into. We are going to build a program this community is proud of, one that competes fearlessly and develops the whole player. Dream big, love the process."

Lisle spent part of the 2026 season on staff at Utah, joining Amy Hogue's staff as an assistant following the departure of pitching coach Karl Gollan in April.

Say hello to our new Coach!

🗞️: https://t.co/oOTnyGrTYv#TBirdNation ⚡️ #RaiseTheHammer pic.twitter.com/ENrML7AUyU

— SUU Softball (@SUUSoftball) August 6, 2026

Before Utah, Lisle served as an assistant at Fresno State, South Carolina, Santa Clara, CSU East Bay, and Oregon. He was part a Pac-12 title with the Ducks and helped turn the Gamecocks into a national contender. With South Carolina, he helped the team to 49 wins and a Top-10 national ranking. The coaching staff also earned NFCA Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors after the team shattered multiple offensive records.

In addition to his softball coaching experience, Lisle worked with the Chicago White Sox organization as a Hitting Strategist in Analytics and Player Development, where he helped develop the organization's hitter evaluation system using advanced analytics and technology. He was also the head baseball coach at Los Medanos College and earned Bay Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors.

"We are thrilled to welcome Matt Lisle to the Thunderbirds family," said Larsen. "Matt has consistently elevated every program he has been a part of, and his passion for developing student-athletes both on and off the field aligns perfectly with our vision for Southern Utah Athletics. As we begin this new era in the Big Sky Conference, we are confident Matt is the right leader to build a championship-caliber softball program."

Lisle is the eighth coach in SUU program history and will help the Thunderbirds transition back into the Big Sky Conference, where it competed from 2012-22. Southern Utah spent the past four years as a member of the Western Athletic Conference.

SUU marks Lisle's first Division I head coaching job.