Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- mreida@ia.ua.edu
- Phone:
- 205-348-4029
Matt Reida wrapped up his second season as an assistant coach and fourth overall season at The University of Alabama in 2022-23. Reida was added to the staff in June of 2021 for a second time after spending 2019-20 in Tuscaloosa in a volunteer role. In his second stint at UA, Reida serves as recruiting coordinator while also working on the Tide’s defense and with hitters.
Reida’s efforts on defense this past season were highlighted by Jim Jarvis who earned ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove honors at shortstop. Jarvis became just the third player in Alabama history to earn a Gold Glove and was the first shortstop to do so at UA. In addition to his Gold Glove, Jarvis was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team along with first baseman Drew Williamson. The duo were the first All-Defensive Team honorees at their respective positions in program history.
The Crimson Tide also made significant progress at the plate under Reida’s direction. Alabama batted .293 with 634 total hits to rank second and third, respectively, in the Southeastern Conference. The Tide also finished in the top-five of the conference in runs per game, on-base and slugging percentage, along with walks, runs, home runs and home runs per game.
Alabama totaled 112 home runs on the year to finish 12th in Division I and fifth in the SEC. The 112 home runs ranked as the fourth-most in Crimson Tide single-season history and nearly doubled the 2022 mark of 62. The Tide homered in 54 games while producing multiple homers 35 times, including 18 SEC matchups. Alabama’s ’23 team also set the program record for consecutive games with a home run at 24 from April 18-June 3 and began the season on a 16-game home run streak that ranked as the fourth-longest stretch in Alabama history.
The power numbers were highlighted by Colby Shelton who led the Tide in home runs (25) and slugging percentage (.729) on the way to Freshman All-America accolades from multiple outlets. Shelton’s 25 home runs tied for second in the SEC and seventh in the country while his 0.42 homers per game mark was third in the league and 12th nationally. The Lithia, Fla., native set the Alabama single-season freshman home run mark while matching Georgia’s Charlie Condon for the SEC’s single-season freshman record. His 25 bombs also tied for third on the Alabama single-season list, falling just three short of the all-time record.
In addition to the power numbers, the 2023 team showed improved patience at the plate, drawing 340 walks. That number ranked as the second-most walks in Alabama single-season history and was an improvement of 120 from the year prior. The Tide ranked fifth in the SEC and 13th nationally for base on balls while averaging 5.31 walks per game to set the program record.
Reida 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, setting the Alabama 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 year 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. 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 in Kentucky annals. 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.
