University of California-Riverside Softball

Brittney Matta was introduced as the sixth head coach in UCR Division I history on August 9, 2024. Matta, who most recently served as an assistant coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) prior to accepting the head coach role at UCR, has a history of success both as a player and a coach. An NCAA national champion catcher with the 2008 Arizona State Sun Devils, Matta was the 2023 ACCAC Coach of the Year and is known for her stellar recruiting, Matta joins UCR Athletics to lead its softball program into its next era. Matta most recently served as UTEP's Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, a position she assumed in June 2023. Prior to her time at UTEP, she served as the head coach at South Mountain Community College (SMCC), where she revamped the program's culture and led the Cougars through four highly successful seasons, culminating in being named the 2023 ACCAC Coach of the Year with her team finishing the season ranked No. 3 nationally after earning a D2 Junior College World Series berth, a West District Championship, and Region 1 title. Before her success at SMCC, Matta was an assistant coach at Mesa Community College from 2017 to 2019, contributing to the team's journey to the NJCAA Division II Regional Finals. Also, she was successful coaching at the prep level, leading Highland High School in Gilbert, Ariz., to the Arizona Interscholastic Association playoffs in her first year as head coach in 2014. Matta's softball journey began at Arizona State

Briza Blanco joins the UC Riverside softball staff in 2025 for her first season of Division I coaching, returning to the program where she spent five years a...

NFCA Hall of Famer and former NFCA President Cindy Bristow joined UC Riverside Softball as the program's pitching coach in September of 2018. Bristow rejoins...

Kayla Bowen joined the UC Riverside softball coaching staff in 2025, bringing an accomplished playing and coaching background to the Highlanders. She will primarily