PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers head softball coach Kristen Butler has announced the addition of Matthew Guemmer to her staff as an assistant coach.
"We are excited to add Matt to our Scarlet Knight family," said head coach Kristen Butler, who enters her fifth season at Rutgers. "He brings a championship pedigree and mindset and will be able to assist our program in all areas of the game. Matt will be a great asset to our program and in helping us climb the ranks of the Big Ten."
Guemmer arrives "On The Banks" after spending the last three seasons at Southeast Missouri coaching the Redbirds outfield defense and hitting while assisting with infield defense and pitching. He helped guide SEMO to back-to-back 30 wins seasons, a 39-16 Ohio Valley Conference record and the 2021 OVC regular-season title.
Prior to his stint at SEMO, Guemmer was a volunteer assistant coach at Virginia Tech and the director of the Peter D'Amour Softball Camps in 2019. Guemmer was a part of the 2019 NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year responsible for overseeing the outfielders in a season where the Hokies won their second-ever ACC regular-season title and first-ever Coastal Division crown.
Under his tutelage, center fielder Darby Trull and left fielder Emma Strough were a Softball America All-Americans and First Team NFCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region selections. Trull led the team batting .406, fourth among all ACC players at the plate, while Strouth, also a First Team All-ACC honoree, broke the Virginia Tech record for single-season RBIs (68) and was one of two Hokies to establish a new benchmark in runs scored (50). Altogether, the outfield unit hit over .330 for the season with over 50 hits.
Before joining the collegiate ranks, Guemmer was the head coach of the girls' softball team at De Soto High School in his hometown of De Soto, Missouri. At the helm of the program, he compiled a 76-34 record with three district championships and produced three MHFSCA All-State players and 13 MHSFCA Academic All-State athletes. During his first season after being elevated from assistant coach, he led the Dragons to an MSHSAA 3A state championship and 25-4 record as the team held a .351 batting average and 1.41 ERA and was named the 2014 Regional Radio Dream Team Coach of the Year.
Guemmer began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Mineral Area College, a two-year junior college in Park Hills, Missouri. During his four seasons with the Cardinals, he coached four NJCAA All-Americans and four NJCAA Academic All-Americans and earned two trips to the NJCAA World Series Qualifier in 2009 and 2011.
A graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in secondary education, Guemmer was a student manager with the Tigers softball program for two seasons assisting with camps and clinics, film and equipment.
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