Matt Lisle enters his first season as the head coach of the Southern Utah University softball program, bringing more than 23 years of collegiate and professional coaching experience to Cedar City. Widely regarded as one of the nation’s premier offensive minds, Lisle has built a reputation for player development, innovative recruiting, offensive production, and a data-driven approach to the game.
Lisle most recently served as a consultant before joining the University of Utah coaching staff for the 2026 season. With the Utes, he worked with the offense, scouting, recruiting, and game planning, helping Utah establish school records in slugging percentage (.496) and on-base percentage (.497) while competing in the Big 12 Conference.
Prior to Utah, Lisle spent two seasons at Oregon State as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. During his tenure, he helped orchestrate a significant roster rebuild following conference realignment, bringing 17 transfer portal additions to the program while overseeing offensive development and serving as the program's NIL liaison. The Beavers posted their highest slugging percentage since their 2022 Women's College World Series team, their best on-base percentage since 2018, increased run production by 40 percent, and recorded their best road winning percentage in more than a decade.
Lisle's collegiate coaching experience also includes assistant coaching positions at Fresno State, South Carolina, Santa Clara, CSU East Bay, and Oregon. While at Oregon, he was part of a Pac-12 Championship staff. At South Carolina, he helped lead the Gamecocks to 49 wins and a Top-10 national ranking while earning NFCA Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors after the program established multiple offensive records.
Beyond collegiate softball, Lisle spent time with the Chicago White Sox organization as a Hitting Strategist in Analytics and Player Development. In that role, he helped develop the organization's hitter evaluation system through the use of advanced analytics and technology.
Lisle also has extensive experience in baseball, serving as the head coach at Los Medanos College. He led the Mustangs to a school-record 33 wins and earned Bay Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors.
A nationally recognized voice in hitting instruction, Lisle is the founder of The Hitting Vault, one of the largest online platforms for hitting instruction. His work has reached more than 3 million followers across social media, and he is the author of the best-selling coaching book Dear Coach.
Throughout his coaching career, Lisle has earned four Conference Coach of the Year honors across softball and baseball and has established himself as a respected leader in offensive development, recruiting, player performance, and coaching education.
Lisle becomes the eighth head coach in Southern Utah softball history and will lead the Thunderbirds into their return to the Big Sky Conference for the 2027 season.
