Garrett Valis - Softball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email Address:
- samhoustonsb@shsu.edu
- Alma Mater:
- Texas
- Graduation Year:
- 2007
- Phone:
- 936 294-3920
| COACHING HONORS | |||
| Year | Honor | ||
| 2019 | Southland Conference Coach of the Year | ||
| COACHING EXPERIENCE | |||
| Seasons | School/Team - Position | ||
| 2019-Present | Sam Houston - Head Coach | ||
| 2015-18 | Sam Houston - Assistant Coach | ||
| Prior to 2015 | Austin Storm Gold Under-18 - Head Coach | ||
| 2009 | Texas State - Volunteer Assistant | ||
| 2005-08 | Concordia (TX) - Assistant Coach | ||
| 2003-04 | Houston Power Under-18 - Assistant Coach | ||
| PLAYING EXPERIENCE | |||
| Years | School | ||
| 2002-04 | Ranger College (Baseball) | ||
| CHAMPIONSHIPS & NCAA APPEARANCES | |||
| Year | Accomplishment | ||
| 2019 | Southland Regular-Season Champion | ||
| 2019 | Southland Tournament Champion | ||
| 2019 | NCAA Austin Regional | ||
| HEAD COACHING RECORD | |||
| Years | Overall | Conference | |
| 2019-26 | 177-231 (.434) | 91-91 (.500) | |
| YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD | |||
| Year | Overall | Conference | |
| 2026 | 29-27 | 13-14 (CUSA) | |
| 2025 | 28-29 | 14-13 (CUSA) | |
| 2024 | 20-30 | 8-15 (CUSA) | |
| 2023 | 22-35 | 12-12 (WAC) | |
| 2022 | 15-39 | 8-16 (WAC) | |
| 2021 | 19-31 | 14-13 (SLC) | |
| 2020 | 9-17 | 0-3 (SLC) | |
| 2019 | 35-23 | 22-5 (SLC) | |
| 8 Seasons | 177-231 | 91-91 | |
Garrett Valis enters his ninth season as Sam Houston’s head softball coach and his 13th season on the Bearkat staff in 2027. Named the ninth head coach in program history on May 11, 2018, Valis has guided Sam Houston to 177 victories, a conference regular-season championship, a conference tournament title and an NCAA Regional appearance through eight seasons.
Valis led the Bearkats to a 29-27 record in 2026, their highest win total since the 2019 championship season. Sam Houston hit .281 with 50 home runs, 74 doubles and 79 stolen bases while returning to the CUSA Tournament.
Veronica Harrison earned CUSA Newcomer of the Year and first team all-conference honors after setting a program single-season record with 17 home runs. Harrison led CUSA in homers and finished with a .335 average and 46 RBI. Bella Perez and Sophia Lundstrom also earned first team All-CUSA honors, Tiffany Sanchez was a second team selection, and Lundstrom and Peyton Helmly were named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team. Lundstrom was also a Top 25 finalist for NFCA Freshman of the Year.
The 2025 Bearkats finished 14-13 in CUSA play and earned a conference tournament berth. Abigail Young earned first team All-CUSA recognition after leading the league with a 1.66 ERA, while Perez earned second team honors and tied the program’s then-single-season record with 13 home runs.
Valis made an immediate impact in his first season as head coach in 2019, earning Southland Conference Coach of the Year honors while leading Sam Houston to both the regular-season and tournament championships. The Bearkats finished 35-23 overall and 22-5 in league play, claiming their first regular-season title since 1993 and winning both conference crowns in the same season for the first time.
Sam Houston swept through the 2019 Southland Tournament, defeating Nicholls 2-1 in the championship game, and advanced to the NCAA Austin Regional. The Bearkats opened regional play with a 2-1 victory over ninth-ranked Texas. The season also included a program Division I-record 13-game winning streak.
Seven Bearkats earned All-Southland honors in 2019, led by Lindsey McLeod, who was named the league’s Player, Pitcher and Student-Athlete of the Year. McLeod also earned NFCA All-Central Region and first team Academic All-America recognition. Megan McDonald followed as Southland softball Student-Athlete of the Year in 2020.
Before becoming head coach, Valis spent four seasons as an assistant under Bob Brock from 2015-18, serving as recruiting coordinator and working with the Bearkat hitters. Eleven hitters earned all-conference recognition during that span, including four in 2018. Sam Houston hit .287 in 2016 and .277 in 2017.
Valis joined the Bearkat staff in August 2014 after serving as head coach of the Austin Storm Gold Under-18 team. He worked with outfielders and hitters as a volunteer assistant at Texas State in 2009 and previously coached hitting and outfielders at Concordia from 2005-08. He also served as an assistant with the Houston Power Under-18 team in 2003 and 2004.
A native of Shiner, Texas, and graduate of St. Paul HS, Valis played third base and outfield at Ranger College from 2002-04. He earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Texas in 2007 and a master’s degree in physical education with a specialization in exercise science from Texas State.
Valis and his wife, Angela, have two daughters, Harper Faye and Ava Grace, and a son, Asher George. His twin sisters, Haley and Jessica, played softball at Houston.
