JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Clay High School softball coach Matt Lewis is calling it a career.
The longest tenured head coach in the area, Lewis said Monday afternoon that this season was his last. The Blue Devils won back-to-back district championships, something Lewis said was important to him and the program.
“Time to settle back in and get to know my wife again,” Lewis said.
Lewis spent 30 years as the Clay varsity head coach, winning 551 games and reaching three state semifinals. The headliner was the 2001 state championship, a 2-1 win over powerhouse Bartow. It was the first state fast-pitch softball title in Clay County history. Oakleaf (2017) and Middleburg (2022) have won titles since then.
Lewis got to coach his daughter, Sydney, throughout high school, something he says remains an unbelievable experience. Sydney graduated in 2019.
“It’s going to be tough [not to coach]. I’m ready to be a husband again and be at home with a wife who’s missed me for 30 years. We’re going to take a vacation this summer for over a week, get back to being a family again.”