COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Head Baseball Coach Steve Bieser has announced that Matt Lisle will join his coaching staff as the team's new hitting coach. A well-respected and nationally-renowned hitting coach, Lisle (pronounced LYLE) is one of the hottest names in baseball, helping hitters at all levels, including the majors, fine tune their swings. Most recently, Lisle served as the hitting coach for South Carolina Softball, which garnered 2018 NFCA Southeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors after taking a team that was predicted to finish 12th in a loaded SEC to a third-place finish. Lisle's Gamecock lineup led the SEC with a school record 65 homers while also leading the league in slugging, doubles, total bases and hit by pitch.
Lisle will fill Mizzou's assistant coach role, which was occupied last year by Johnathan Roof who accepted an assistant coach position at Eastern Michigan earlier this week. Lisle will oversee Mizzou's hitters moving forward, a role that Bieser had taken on last year after Dillon Lawson accepted a job with the Houston Astros.
"I can't tell you how excited I am to be a part of the Mizzou Baseball family and how grateful I am to Coach Bieser for the opportunity," Lisle said. "What Coach Bieser has built in such a short amount of time and what he accomplished at SEMO is a credit to his ability to lead and develop both coaches and players and I can't wait to begin learning from him and the rest of the staff, as well. Mizzou is a sleeping giant that is about to awaken and I can't wait to be a part of it."
"Matt is a wonderful addition to our staff here at Mizzou," Bieser said. "Through the process, the things that stuck out to me were his attention to detail, his coaching style and his passion to be coaching baseball at the University of Missouri. Matt has tremendous knowledge in the art of hitting and has served as a great leader to hitters at all levels. His ability to reach all types of learners will be a major asset to Mizzou Baseball."
Before his time with Gamecock Softball, Lisle served as the head coach at Menlo College, turning in the school's first winning campaign in 14 years with a 30-20 mark. Four hitters that year earned All-Golden State Athletic Conference honors. Lisle spent time as an assistant coach at both Cal State-East Bay in 2014 and Santa Clara in 2015.
At East Bay, Lisle engineered an offensive renaissance, seeing the team's home run total increase from seven to 48 in one season. His offense ranked second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in slugging and RBI. The Broncos posted the second-best batting average in program history, jumping more than 30 points, while also helping SCU to its highest RPI finish in program history.
Lisle began his collegiate softball coaching career as a volunteer with Oregon in 2012, helping the Ducks to their first Pac-12 championship. His roots in baseball date back to when he was working up the high school ranks. He got his break as the associate head coach at Patten University for two years before becoming the head baseball coach at NCAA Division III Gallaudet in 2007-08.
In addition to his high school and collegiate coaching positions, Lisle has built a strong following online among NPF and MLB players as a hitting consultant through his online videos and e-books. He also is a national clinician, serving as a featured speaker at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association conference in 2014.
Lisle earned his bachelor's degree in organizational management from Patten University in 2006. Lisle has five children: Alicia, Chappie, Chase, Presley and Crosby, and he is married to Jessica.
Lisle's Collegiate Employment Timeline
- 2017 -- Assistant softball coach, South Carolina
- 2016 -- Head coach, Menlo College
- 2015 -- Assistant coach, Santa Clara
- 2014 -- Assistant coach, Cal State-East Bay
- 2013 -- Volunteer assistant, Oregon
- 2008 -- Head baseball coach, Gallaudet University
- 2006 -- Associate head baseball coach, Patten University
Lisle's Education Timeline
- 2006, B.A. -- Organizational Management, Patten
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