Arkansas softball head coach Courtney Deifel has announced the promotion of assistant coaches Matt Meuchel and DJ Gasso to associate head coaches for the upcoming 2026 season.
“We are excited to announce the promotion of Matt Meuchel and DJ Gasso to associate head coaches for Arkansas Softball,” Deifel said. “Their leadership, commitment, and impact on our program have been instrumental to our continued success on and off the field. We look forward to the future with them in these expanded roles as we continue to build something special in Fayetteville.”
During the 2025 season, Meuchel and Gasso played key roles as Arkansas finished with a 44-14 record, including a 14-10 mark in SEC play. The team earned a No. 5 national seed in the NCAA tournament, marking its sixth national seed overall. The Razorbacks’ 44 wins tied for third-most in program history, and they reached their fourth Super Regional appearance.
Meuchel completed his ninth season with Arkansas in 2025 after joining Deifel’s staff in 2017. He previously served as head coach at Nevada for eight years. Over his tenure at Arkansas, Meuchel has contributed to two SEC regular season championships, one SEC Tournament title, four NCAA Super Regionals, and eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. He has helped develop multiple award-winning players including two SEC Players of the Year and Bri Ellis, who was named 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
In terms of defense, Meuchel guided Arkansas through its strongest defensive season ever in 2025. The team achieved a .984 fielding percentage—an NCAA statistical championship—and set new records for games without an error (33) and individual fielding achievements among starters.
Gasso joined Arkansas prior to the 2024 season following three years at Utah. As primary hitting coach, he oversaw offensive improvements that led to single-season program records across six categories during his two seasons. In 2025 alone, Arkansas broke records for runs scored (436), RBI (399), walks (291), doubles (90), on-base percentage (.439), and sacrifice flies (29). Nationally, they ranked within the top ten in several offensive statistics.
The Razorbacks’ offense under Gasso also produced notable individual performances such as Bri Ellis’s historic year at bat: she hit .440 with single-season school records in home runs (26), RBI (72), slugging percentage (1.090), on-base percentage (.639), runs scored (68), while tying an SEC record for home runs.
Arkansas is coming off its eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Deifel’s leadership.
For more information or updates about Arkansas softball’s schedule or news visit https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/ or follow @RazorbackSB on social media platforms.
