Tess Soefje | Assistant Coach
Soefje (Sef-gee) spent the 2019 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Illinois, which made an appearance in the NCAA Kentucky Regionsl, where she worked with the Fighting Illini pitchers and catchers. She is also the Bearkats’ recruiting coordinator.
Before joining the staff at Illinois, Soefje spent two years as a graduate student at Ole Miss. She worked with pitchers and catchers, and as a former collegiate player at UTSA, she helped mentor players with mental preparation for games and off-the-field issues of college softball.
While at Ole Miss, Soefje also coordinated apparel and equipment management, assisted with the director of operations on game day and recruiting events and assisted with managing team travel. Ole Miss won the 2017 SEC Tournament and the NCAA Oxford Regional to advance to the Los Angeles Super Regional. Ole Miss was also a finalist at the 2018 NCAA Tempe Regional.
Soefje was a three-year starter at catcher for the Roadrunners after transferring from Houston. She hit 20 home runs in 152 career starts and ended her career as the NCAA record holder for hits-by-pitch per game.
The Frisco native was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American Scholar and was named to the Conference USA Honor Roll at both UTSA and Houston. She graduated from UTSA with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2016 and also earned a bachelor’s degree in integrated marketing communications from the University of Mississippi in 2018.
In 2019, Soefje took part in the European Cup in Dupnista Bulgaria. She played for the Denmark National Team the Barracudas, who finished third and became the first Danish team to medal. She tied for third best batting average in the Cuo, hitting .500 with six doubles, which tied for second most, five walks and four hit by pitch. She led the tournament with a .696 on-base percentage and had the third highest slugging percentage at .929.
Lexi Smith | Assistant Coach
Sam Houston head softball coach Garrett Valis has announced the hiring of Lexi Smith as a new assistant coach for the 2025 season.
Lexi Smith has been a member of the Northwestern State softball team as a pitching coach since August 2021. During that time, the Demons won 97 games and posted three seasons with a winning percentage above .500 with the former Texas A&M pitcher on staff.
"I am excited to welcome coach Lexi back to Texas and add her to our staff," Valis said. "She brings a lot of experience and a very positive energy to our program. She is a worker on the recruiting trail and will continue to push our program forward."
At Northwestern State, Smith mentored Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, and first-team All-SLC selection Sage Hoover as well as second-team honoree Bronte Rhoden in 2022. She also tutored Maggie Darr who was preseason second-team all-conference in 2024 and surpassed 300 strikeouts in three years which is top 10 in school history.
Previously, Smith was the pitching coach at NCAA Division III Southwestern for one season where she tutored all-conference pitcher Kinly McCaffery.
Before Southwestern, Smith assisted with pitchers at her alma mater Texas A&M for the 2019 season. She contributed to in-game pitch calling with pitching coach Kara Dill as well as other data analysis.
Smith spent the first two seasons of her college career at Temple College before pitching her final two seasons at Texas A&M.
Smith was voted NFCA All-South Region Second Team as a junior with 12-1 record and a team-best ERA of 1.63 with 118 strikeouts in 107 innings, including five shutouts.
The Temple native also posted a team-low 1.66 ERA with a 10-2 record as a senior in 2018.
Smith shined at Temple College in her first two seasons, earning NJCAA All-American status both seasons with a combined 50-14 record, including five no-hitters as a sophomore. One highlight included a 14-inning perfect game against Vernon College with 32 strikeouts.
Smith graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor's degree in leadership studies and minor in recreational parks/tourism and sports management.
