Matt Alberghini was hired as assistant softball coach on June 17, 2024. He enters his third season on the Mountaineer staff in 2027.

At App State, Alberghini has taken on an expanded role in the program, most notably as the program’s recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator. Alberghini manages all aspects of infield and outfield play with the Mountaineers and leads the program’s player development strategies overseeing the technologies that include the collection and implementation of data using Trackman, HitTrax and NordBoards.

The Mountaineers continued to improve in Alberghini's second season on staff, as they won 29 games, their most since 2022, and posted a winning season for the first time since that same season. The Mountaineers' tallied a .580 win percentage in 2026, which marked their highest since recording a .586 win percentage in 2021. App State also tallied two winning streaks of seven or more games for the first time in program history in 2026.

App State's defense turned in a record-setting season under Alberghini's tutelage, committing just 48 errors — the fewest in a single season in program history outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season (26 seasons). The Mountaineers posted a .960 fielding percentage, the fifth-best mark in program history, and recorded 22 errorless games in 2026, including three straight from Feb. 13-14.

Alberghini once again saw two of his middle infielders earn All-Conference honors in Year 2, as Makayla McClain was named First Team All-Sun Belt and Grace Barrett earned Second Team recognition. McClain committed just seven errors in 164 chances during the 2026 season, while Barrett posted a career-best fielding percentage in her junior campaign. That improvement extended throughout the Mountaineer defense, as seven of eight returning players (87.5%) improved their fielding percentage from 2025 to 2026. Through Alberghini’s first two seasons at App State, three different players have earned All-Sun Belt honors.

The Mountaineers saw two players rank in the top 30 in the Sun Belt in fielding percentage in Leah Gore (.985) and Emilie Ching (.979). Gore, who played primarily in the outfield in 2025, transitioned back to her natural position of catcher in 2026 and committed just three errors, while Ching, who came to Boone as a third-baseman, made the transition to first base with ease, committing just four errors on 189 chances.

In his first season on the App State softball staff, Alberghini helped lead a turnaround that saw the Mountaineers win 23 games, including 13 victories in Sun Belt play, and earn a berth in the Sun Belt Tournament for the first time since 2022. Serving in a versatile role on the coaching staff, Alberghini contributed across multiple facets of the program, including offense, defense and individualized player-development strategies.

While continuing to assist with the Mountaineers' offense, Alberghini took on an expanded defensive role during the spring, working directly with the infield. Middle infielders Grace Barrett and Makayla McClain each earned First Team All-Sun Belt honors, marking the first time in App State's Sun Belt era that two Mountaineers were named First Team All- Conference in the same season. McClain was also named Sun Belt Player of the Week three times, while Barrett established career highs in home runs and RBIs.

The Mountaineers' defensive success extended beyond the individual accolades. App State recorded 18 errorless games in 2025, including error-free series sweeps at James Madison and against Georgia State. In Sun Belt play, the Mountaineers posted a .971 fielding percentage, the fourth-best mark in the conference, while committing just 19 errors, the third-fewest in the league.

Alberghini's impact also extended to the offensive side of the ball, where he helped the Mountaineers develop into one of the Sun Belt's top slugging teams in 2025. App State set single-season program records in home runs, doubles, slugging percentage and on-base percentage while also finishing among the conference's top five in runs scored, triples and batting average.

Alberghini came to Boone from UT Arlington, where he spent two years as the Mavericks’ assistant coach alongside head coach Peejay Brun. He played a significant role in recruiting for UTA while also serving as the primary defensive coach, working with the infielders and outfielders.

He was crucial in the development of the Maverick softball program, overseeing its player development technology, which included DartFish, FlightScope and Blast Motion.

“Having the opportunity align on both ends to bring Matt on staff is special,” Jones said. “I’ve seen firsthand the passion and love he has for bringing out the best in players and doing it at the highest level. His collegiate coaching experiences have included development in just about every area of the game, including hitting, infield, outfield and catching, which will be huge for our program.”

“Having built great connections at all his stops along his coaching journey, Matt will play a key role in the recruiting space and identifying talent. We’re excited to have him, and we’re ready to hit the ground running.”

At UTA, Alberghini helped lead the Mavericks to 39 wins in his two seasons, which included a win over No. 15 Louisiana in 2021 and a win over No. 11 Oklahoma State, which made the Women’s College World Series in five straight seasons from 2019-2024. He was instrumental in the development of KJ Murphy, who was named to the All-Sun Belt first team in 2021 and boasted top-five marks in batting average, on-base percentage, hits and OPS that year.

“I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve the App State softball program,” Alberghini said. “Under the direction of Coach Whit, there is no mountain too high for the Mountaineers. I look forward to the challenge of coming in as part of a new staff and the process associated with championship-caliber softball.”

“I’d like to send a special thank you to Coach Whit and the entire App State athletic administration for the opportunity. I’d also like to thank my wife, Bailey, for her unwavering support in living out my passion as a coach.”

Before his time at UTA, Alberghini spent a year at Boston College as a volunteer assistant coach. There, he served as the hitting coach and was also involved in recruiting and coordinating Boston College’s softball camps.

The Chesapeake, Va., native coached in the Women’s College World Series in 2019 when he served as a member of the Washington coaching staff, where he and Jones both worked under Heather Tarr. Alberghini was a graduate assistant with the Huskies and was a part of 52 wins in 2019 and a Pac-12 Conference championship. At Washington, he oversaw practice and game day preparation and assisted in statistical analysis.

His extensive coaching career started at Pittsburgh in 2018, as he was named a volunteer assistant coach under ACC Coach of the Year Holly Aprile. His work with the Panther hitters helped the team improve in all major offensive categories, while his work with catcher Georgiana Zeremenko helped her earn All-ACC honors in 2019.

In addition to his work at the collegiate level, Alberghini has worked with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League and served as the head student manager for Sun Belt foe Coastal Carolina.

Alberghini is a 2017 graduate of Coastal Carolina, earning his degree in recreation and sport management. He earned his master’s degree from Washington in 2019.