photo by: Grady Johnson/Special to the Journal-World

Shawnee Mission South head coach Matt Hill (middle) addresses his players during a practice at Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

After four years as an assistant coach for Free State baseball, Matt Hill knew it was time to lead a program on his own.

Shawnee Mission South came calling, and now the first-time head coach is working to create a culture similar to that of Free State, led by his father, Mike Hill.

“Well, I’d been looking for a while, thinking about creating my own path,” Matt said in an interview with the Journal-World on Wednesday. “I feel like I had really taken everything that I could from (Free State)… I felt like it was about time to take it somewhere else.”

Matt inherited a program in Shawnee Mission South with a storied history much like that of Free State, as the Raiders have four state championships in their history.

“It seemed like a place where I could come, and the foundation was already there in terms of players,” Matt said, “and I could apply some of those things that I’d learned at Free State and take them and share them with another group of kids.”

The Raiders, however, have lacked recent success. The fourth state championship came in 1985, and the program hasn’t been to a state tournament since 2008.

After an 11-win season in 2025, Shawnee Mission South had 15 wins this season as of Friday afternoon. The roster includes two of the best pitchers in Kansas, Saint Louis commit Max McKenna and Butler County Community College commit Levi Robertson, along with a talented batting lineup from top to bottom.

“I think (the biggest emphasis) was just understanding that they had the talent here, and there’s a lot more that goes into winning,” Matt said. “It’s how you approach practice; it’s showing up every day with a goal and a plan and knowing that other teams are talented, too.”

Shawnee Mission South is the third coaching stop Matt has made since finishing his playing career at Baker University in 2021.

The coaching life first took Matt to the Cape Cod League, where he served as the bullpen coach for the Falmouth Commodores.

“That was big for me in terms of getting out of that comfort zone,” Matt said. “That was good for me to just really get to build kind of my own reputation.”

Added Mike: “Really, when he went to the Cape Cod League and took that step, it demonstrated to me that he was willing to get out of his comfort zone and was serious about coaching.”

The following spring, he found himself back in Lawrence. After growing up around the Free State program and looking up to those who took the field before his playing tenure, this time around was different. He was now the one being looked up to.

And it came with lofty expectations, working alongside his father. The two, however, made sure to keep baseball at the forefront while embracing their personal relationship.

“At its best point, it was kind of a blend of (the) two,” Matt said. “A lot of our relationship, in a healthy way, was based upon what went on on the field, and it gave us countless memories to really reflect on.”

That relationship reached its peak last season, as the Firebirds finished 28-2, winning the program’s third state championship and first since 2015, when Matt was a sophomore on the team.

He accomplished something only a few can claim: holding the state championship trophy as both a player and a coach, not to mention with the same program.

“I played zero innings (in 2015); I was a late-year suit-up, but it was awesome,” Matt said. “(In 2025) it was such a good group, and they worked really hard. Obviously, the past couple of years had fallen short in the semifinal game, so I think that was the coolest thing, just to kind of see the disappointment that some of those guys had felt, and then to see them persevere through a couple years and come back and win it was really cool.”

Those four years spent together as coaches ultimately allowed Matt to learn the ropes and figure out exactly what goes into building a state championship contender each year.

The time spent working under his dad ultimately allowed Matt to find his voice and not be afraid to voice his opinions. In one instance, Matt was the leading voice in deciding Free State’s pitching rotation for the state tournament in 2025.

“(He) was really forceful with me, I guess would be the right thing to say, in terms of us doing it,” Mike said. “There were other more experienced coaches sitting around the table who didn’t necessarily share that perspective, but I thought he was right; we did it, and it worked.”

Outside of just finding his voice, Matt’s time under his dad provided him a unique opportunity to soak up as much knowledge as possible in terms of creating a culture and building long-term sustainability.

“He taught me what goes into making a program versus just coaching a team,” Matt said. “I think that starts with having a vision and a goal, not only for the year but for three, five (or) seven years down the road.”

Before ultimately taking the job at Shawnee Mission South, Matt had a chance to leave Free State a year prior to the state championship run.

In 2024, the head coaching job opened at Shawnee Mission East, and Matt went through the interview process before ultimately spending one last season at Free State while waiting patiently for his time as a head coach to come.

“The notion that he was confident enough as a young coach to throw his name in the mix said something to me,” Mike said, “because he was willing to leave what was comfortable, what he’s known all his life, really, to start his own path.”

Now that his time in a lead role has come, Matt is emphasizing the same things as his father: a positive culture, organization and communication.

And that doesn’t just start with coaching. It begins with players who want to achieve the same goals and values that Matt hopes to instill each year as he progresses in his coaching career.

“I think our seniors have done a really good job, and all the grades down below them, of seeing that this is something that can take off if we buy into those things,” Matt said. “I think you’ve seen it game by game, week by week: There’s a little more buy-in that we’re going to play to a standard, and that standard is based on attitude, and it’s based on effort.”

photo by: Grady Johnson/Special to the Journal-World

Shawnee Mission South head coach Matt Hill looks on during a practice at Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

photo by: Matt Tait

Free State baseball coach Mike Hill, left, and his son, Matt, were on the same coaching staff with the Firebirds, preparing to take FSHS into the 6A state tournament in Fort Scott in this 2022 photo.

photo by: Courtesy of Mike Hill

Matt Hill, right, and Free State head baseball coach Mike Hill pose for a photo after the Firebirds’ regional championship win on Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at Free State High School in Lawrence.