Mater Dei High School, located in Santa Ana, California, is in search of a new head softball coach in the wake of an abrupt departure by former head coach Nicole Wise.
Wise coached the Monarchs during the 2026 season, finishing with an overall record of 19-11 and a Trinity League record of 4-5. She led Mater Dei to a runner-up finish in the 2026 CIF Southern Section Division 2 softball championship, losing to section champion Whittier Christian by a score of 5-3.
The school announced the hiring of Wise on September 8, 2025 via Instagram:
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Wise was preceded by Nicole Thomas, who coached the Monarchs from 2023 through 2025. She left the program in order to become the head coach at Vanguard University, a Division III program in Costa Mesa, California. Thomas coached the Monarchs to a second-place finish in the Trinity League in 2025 and a California state ranking of 26…