Poole Completes 2026 Softball Staff
7/2/2025 2:00:00 PM | Softball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Fourth-year head softball coach Natalie Poole announced the additions of Peyton Elzey and Caleb Toshcoff as assistant coaches for the Golden Eagles' 2026 staff. Additionally, third-year assistant coach Matt Elzey has also been elevated to the team's offensive coach and recruiting coordinator.
"This staff is going to be a very dynamic group of leaders who want to make this program a success," said Poole. "They are going to work daily to pull the very best from our student-athletes, so that they feel confident about the product we put on the field."
Matt Elzey
Elzey, fresh off his second season as an assistant coach with the Golden Eagles, will assume the duties of offensive coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2026 team.
"Matt will be a great leader for our offense, from development to in-game approach," said Poole. "He also has great connections in the travel ball community and has seen the types of student-athletes that it takes to succeed in the Sun Belt."
Under his tutelage, three Golden Eagles posted batting averages over .300 last season while the team's 354 hits were the most of the Poole era.
Freshman outfielder Hannah Christian earned first team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2025 slashing .350/.447/.471 on the year, leading Southern Miss in average and on-base percentage, as well as her .918 OPS (on-base plus slugging).
Before his arrival in Hattiesburg, he worked as the head coach for Chesapeake College (Wye Mills, Md.) from 2020-23, where he was named 2023 Maryland Junior College Coach of the Year after claiming his league title and leading the nation in batting average.
A native of Easton, Md., Elzey earned a bachelor's degree in general studies from California Coast University in 2021.
Caleb Toshcoff
Toshcoff joins the Golden Eagles after three seasons at Austin Peay, where he worked one year as a graduate assistant and the last two as an assistant coach.
"We are really excited to welcome Caleb to our staff," said Poole. "He has good knowledge of the game and great experience in working with the defensive side of our sport, specifically with outfielders and catchers. He will also assist in other areas, such as hitting and base running. Caleb will bring great energy to our staff and has high expectations for success."
Last season, Austin Peay posted its best finish in the Atlantic Sun Championship with an appearance in the semifinal round. The Governors also tied the program record with a 39-16 record thanks to Toshcoff's work with the outfield and catchers. Six Governors earned All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors in the 2025 campaign with two first team, two second team and two third team selections.
Before his work in Clarksville, Toshcoff worked under perennial WCWS contending coach Patrick Murphy at Alabama as a student manager for four seasons. He was a part of two trips to Oklahoma City in 2019 and 2021, with the Crimson Tide advancing to the semifinals in each WCWS.
Toshcoff is a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and earned a bachelor's degree in human performance and exercise science from The University of Alabama in 2022 and a master's degree in health and human performance from Austin Peay State University in 2023.
Peyton Elzey
Peyton Elzey returns to Hattiesburg as an assistant coach for the 2026 season after previously working under Poole in a developmental role last fall. She spent the 2025 campaign in Conway, S.C., as a graduate assistant for Coastal Carolina where the Chanticleers won the Sun Belt Tournament, made the NCAA Tournament and posted a 42-19 ledger.
"Peyton worked with our team for a few months last fall and I am happy to have her returning as a full-time assistant," said Poole. "She will help assist in assembling and training our pitching staff. We worked really well together last year, and I am looking forward to working alongside her again. She isn't far removed from playing the game, so she is very relatable to our student-athletes."
Before her time with the NCAA-bound Chanticleers and in her previous stop at Southern Miss, Elzey played collegiately at Kennesaw State (2019-21) and at Siena (2022-23). She made 50 career appearances in the circle with 23 starts and posted an 8-12 overall record with 5.77 ERA. She logged 157.2 with 68 strikeouts along with two complete games and one shutout.
The Easton, Md., native earned her bachelor's degree in marketing with a concentration in sports marketing from Siena College in 2023 and her master's degree in business administration from Coastal Carolina University in 2024.
"This staff is going to be a very dynamic group of leaders who want to make this program a success," said Poole. "They are going to work daily to pull the very best from our student-athletes, so that they feel confident about the product we put on the field."
Matt Elzey
Elzey, fresh off his second season as an assistant coach with the Golden Eagles, will assume the duties of offensive coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2026 team.
"Matt will be a great leader for our offense, from development to in-game approach," said Poole. "He also has great connections in the travel ball community and has seen the types of student-athletes that it takes to succeed in the Sun Belt."
Under his tutelage, three Golden Eagles posted batting averages over .300 last season while the team's 354 hits were the most of the Poole era.
Freshman outfielder Hannah Christian earned first team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2025 slashing .350/.447/.471 on the year, leading Southern Miss in average and on-base percentage, as well as her .918 OPS (on-base plus slugging).
Before his arrival in Hattiesburg, he worked as the head coach for Chesapeake College (Wye Mills, Md.) from 2020-23, where he was named 2023 Maryland Junior College Coach of the Year after claiming his league title and leading the nation in batting average.
A native of Easton, Md., Elzey earned a bachelor's degree in general studies from California Coast University in 2021.
Caleb Toshcoff
Toshcoff joins the Golden Eagles after three seasons at Austin Peay, where he worked one year as a graduate assistant and the last two as an assistant coach.
"We are really excited to welcome Caleb to our staff," said Poole. "He has good knowledge of the game and great experience in working with the defensive side of our sport, specifically with outfielders and catchers. He will also assist in other areas, such as hitting and base running. Caleb will bring great energy to our staff and has high expectations for success."
Last season, Austin Peay posted its best finish in the Atlantic Sun Championship with an appearance in the semifinal round. The Governors also tied the program record with a 39-16 record thanks to Toshcoff's work with the outfield and catchers. Six Governors earned All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors in the 2025 campaign with two first team, two second team and two third team selections.
Before his work in Clarksville, Toshcoff worked under perennial WCWS contending coach Patrick Murphy at Alabama as a student manager for four seasons. He was a part of two trips to Oklahoma City in 2019 and 2021, with the Crimson Tide advancing to the semifinals in each WCWS.
Toshcoff is a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., and earned a bachelor's degree in human performance and exercise science from The University of Alabama in 2022 and a master's degree in health and human performance from Austin Peay State University in 2023.
Peyton Elzey
Peyton Elzey returns to Hattiesburg as an assistant coach for the 2026 season after previously working under Poole in a developmental role last fall. She spent the 2025 campaign in Conway, S.C., as a graduate assistant for Coastal Carolina where the Chanticleers won the Sun Belt Tournament, made the NCAA Tournament and posted a 42-19 ledger.
"Peyton worked with our team for a few months last fall and I am happy to have her returning as a full-time assistant," said Poole. "She will help assist in assembling and training our pitching staff. We worked really well together last year, and I am looking forward to working alongside her again. She isn't far removed from playing the game, so she is very relatable to our student-athletes."
Before her time with the NCAA-bound Chanticleers and in her previous stop at Southern Miss, Elzey played collegiately at Kennesaw State (2019-21) and at Siena (2022-23). She made 50 career appearances in the circle with 23 starts and posted an 8-12 overall record with 5.77 ERA. She logged 157.2 with 68 strikeouts along with two complete games and one shutout.
The Easton, Md., native earned her bachelor's degree in marketing with a concentration in sports marketing from Siena College in 2023 and her master's degree in business administration from Coastal Carolina University in 2024.
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