D’Maria Matthews, a native of Millbrook, Alabama, brings a lifelong passion for softball to her role as Interim Head Coach. Matthews is a proud graduate of Grambling State University, where she earned her degree in Social Work with a minor in Psychology while competing on the field as a pitcher for the Lady Tigers from the years 2016-2020.
Her coaching career began at Shaw University, where she spent a season developing student-athletes before returning to her alma mater as an assistant coach. Over the course of three seasons at Grambling as an Assistant(2022-2024), she played a key role in building and mentoring the program, by bringing her passion, energy, and knowledge of the game to the next generation of players.
During her collegiate pitching years, Matthews earned weekly SWAC player honors as well as second team pitcher accolades at the end of the 2019 spring season.
Dedicated to developing well-rounded athletes on and off the field, Matthews brings a competitive edge, a player’s perspective, and a coach’s vision to the program as she leads.
Coach Matthews will soon rename and go by Coach Mays after her August of 2026 wedding.
