BLACKSBURG – Head coach Pete D'Amour announced the addition of assistant coach Huemul Mata (Memu) on Thursday. Mata joined the Hokies in April 2023 and will continue with the Hokies during the 2023-24 season.
"With the addition of Memu on our staff, we're bringing in arguably the best pitcher in the game of softball to assist in our program," D'Amour said. "He has competed on the biggest stages internationally and will bring a championship perspective not only to our pitchers, but to our whole team. Being able to face Memu consistently will only help our hitters too. We're thankful and excited to have Memu on our staff."
One of the best men's fastpitch pitchers in the world, Mata is a native of Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. He has been playing with the Argentinian National Team since 2015, earning a World Cup Championship and a Pan-American Gold pitching for the national team.
During his time with Argentina, Mata has been a part of numerous International Championships, including leading Argentina in 2019 to a XVI WBSC Men's Softball World Cup victory with a 3-2, 10-inning victory over Japan.
Mata Led the World Cup in wins (4) and tied for second in strikeouts (49) in 28.1 innings pitched. In the final, he tossed a 10-inning complete game, adding 17 strikeouts and allowing just four hits.
In 2019 and 2022, Argentina won the Pan-American Gold. Mata was the winning pitcher in the final against the United States in 2019, marking the first time in history that Argentina won the gold.
Playing for the Kitchener Hallman Twins, Mata helped the team to a second-place finish in the ISC World Tournament in 2019 and 2021. During the 2022 season, the Hallman Twins were ISC World Tournament Champions, with Mata earning First Team All-World. He was also named the Most Outstanding Pitcher at the tournament.
During the summer of 2023, Mata is playing for the Niagara Stompers, who most recently won the ISC Canada East Championship. Mata was named the top pitcher of the tournament.