Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- mreida@ia.ua.edu
- Phone:
- 205-348-4029
Matt Reida begins his second season as an assistant coach and fourth overall season at The University of Alabama in 2022-23. Reida was added to head coach Brad Bohannon’s staff in June of 2021 for a second time after spending 2019-20 in Tuscaloosa in a volunteer role.
“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,” said Bohannon. “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.”
Now in his second stint at UA, Reida serves as recruiting coordinator while also working on the Tide’s defense.
He hit the ground running in his first full year back at the Capstone, helping Alabama land a top-10 recruiting class in the 2021 cycle. The group, highlighted in part by Midwest recruits Ben Hess (Illinois) and Luke Holman (Pennsylvania), was ranked as high as No. 8 by Baseball America while also being tabbed as the ninth-rated group according to Perfect Game USA and the 10th-rated class by Collegiate Baseball News.
Reida then made his presence felt on the diamond during the 2022 season. The defense shined under his guidance, helping Alabama’s unit set the program record for fielding percentage at .981. The .981 mark ranked fifth in the SEC and 11th nationally with the Tide committing just 40 errors, the eighth-fewest in Division I and four fewer than the 2019 team that previously held the program record for fielding percentage at .978.
He returned 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 University 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.
