Reida takes on the position after a short stint with CageRat Baseball in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he worked as the director of player development and recruiting for youth baseball players who aspired for professional careers, according to an IU Athletics press release.
Reida will be working with IU infielders, batters and base runners during his tenure in Bloomington. He will be joining Kyle Cheesebrough and Kyle Bunn as assistant coaches.
“We are excited to add Matt to our staff,” Lemonis said in the release. “I have known Matt from his high school career and watched him throughout college. He is a self-made player who competed at a high level for a good college program. I was impressed about how eager Matt was to get back into the college game.”
Reida graduated from Western High School in Russiaville, Indiana. He went on to play four years at shortstop for the University of Kentucky. He started his professional career with the River City Rascals in 2014 before joining the Tampa Bay Rays for a short time.
At Kentucky, Reida made 199 career starts at shortstop, tying him for fifth in school history. He played in 214 games overall, which is good enough for fourth all-time in Wildcat history. The shortstop made one appearance on the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Watch List and was named an SEC Honor Roll honoree three times, graduating with a 3.69 GPA and earning his bachelor’s degree in communication in 2014, according to the release.
“Indiana baseball is a great program that has created a winning tradition,” Reida said in the release. “I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from Coach Lemonis, who has put together one of the best staffs in the country in Coach Cheesebrough and Coach Bunn.”
Taylor Lehman
