FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.  – Arkansas softball head coach Courtney Deifel named Justin Shults the program’s newest associate head coach on Tuesday. Shults will serve as the program’s hitting coach.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Justin and his family to Arkansas,” Deifel said. “Justin is someone who leads with his values, invests deeply in relationships, and genuinely cares about the growth and success of the student-athletes he coaches. He has built a remarkable track record throughout his career, and what stands out is his ability to develop players, elevate offenses, and help programs reach new levels of success wherever he has been. Justin is one of the brightest offensive minds in our game. His creativity, attention to detail, and ability to connect with athletes have consistently produced confident, dynamic offenses and tremendous individual player development. Just as importantly, he is a devoted husband and father whose character, integrity, and commitment to people align perfectly with the culture we have built at Arkansas. We are fortunate to add someone with his experience, leadership, and heart to our program, and I know our student-athletes, staff, and Razorback fans will quickly see the impact he will make."

Shults just completed his fifth season as the head coach at Boise State. During his time at the helm in Boise, he led the Broncos to a 167-102 overall record.

In 2026, Boise State ranked among the Mountain West leaders in home runs (3rd, 57), doubles per game (3rd, 1.45), and sacrifice flies (3rd, 18). Senior Kate Penberthy earned First-Team All Mountain-West honors after batting .438 in league play. The Valencia, Calif., product hit safely in her final 12 conference games while registering multiple hits in eight of 12 contests. Five starters hit above .300 during the 2026 season, while three hit 10+ home runs.

During the 2025 season, Boise State posted 34 wins and advanced to the Mountain West Tournament Championship for its third-straight year. The Broncos tied or set numerous school and conference records. As a team, Boise State set new program records in runs scored (421), home runs (84), RBI (395), total bases (887), and on-base percentage (.439). Makenzie Butt was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year after setting school records with 22 home runs and 77 RBI, while Sophia Knight became the first NCAA Division I player since 2002 to record 100 hits in the regular season.

Boise State went 36-23 and finished as the runner-up in the Mountain West Conference Tournament in 2024. The Broncos started their campaign with a win over No. 20 Northwestern, one of four victories over a Power 5 program during the season. Under Shults’ tutelage, freshman Sophia Knight finished the season with a .405 batting average and 85 hits to lead all NCAA freshmen and rank fifth nationally to earn Freshman All-American honors. Junior Mykenzie Hanna and sophomore Sydney Groves each belted 18 home runs to tie for the conference crown and 23rd nationally. Groves also set the program RBI record at the time with 57.

In 2023, Shults led Boise State to a conference regular-season title and finished with a 32-17 overall record, giving Shults 72 career victories, the most by a Bronco skipper through two seasons. The Broncos led the Mountain West in six statistical categories and were ranked third nationally in home runs per game (1.65), fourth in scoring (6.86), fifth in on-base percentage (.418), and fifth in slugging percentage (.568). The Broncos' on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and 81 home runs each set school records at the time. Six student-athletes earned all Mountain West honors, with Shults being named conference Coach of the Year.

In 2022, he guided Boise State to a 40-10 record, tying the school record for most wins in a season and garnering a second-place finish in Mountain West play with a 19-5 conference mark. During the 2022 campaign, Boise State was nationally ranked or receiving votes for six consecutive weeks.

Prior to his time as head coach at Boise State, Shults spent 2019-21 as an assistant coach at Oregon and helped the Ducks reach a regional final in 2021. In addition to his time in Eugene, he has been an assistant coach at Southwestern Oklahoma State (2013-14), Miami, Ohio (2015-16), and Fresno State (2017-18).

Shults served as the hitting coach at Oregon, where he mentored Haley Cruse, a 2020 Softball America All-America Second Team selection who ranked in the top 20 nationally in hits and doubles during the 2021 campaign. In 2020, five Ducks batted .350 or better, and Oregon finished in the top 15 nationally in batting average, on-base percentage, and runs per game. His first year in Eugene saw Cruse and Jasmine Sievers earn all-conference honors, and Allee Bunker and Sievers garner all-freshman accolades in the Pac-12.

At Fresno State, Shults helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and directed an offense that hit 50 home runs and ranked fifth in the NCAA in on-base percentage (.410) during the 2018 season. Three position players were named All-Mountain West First Team, and Hayleigh Galvan was an NFCA All-Pacific Region Third Team selection.

At Miami of Ohio, he was part of back-to-back 30-win seasons, a Mid-American Conference Tournament title (2016), and an NCAA Tournament berth (2016). In 2016, the Redhawks set school records for doubles (83), home runs (56), RBI (274), runs (302), runs per game (5.21), and walks (200). Taylor Shuey was the MAC Player of the Year in 2016, a first in program history.

During his tenure at Southwestern Oklahoma State, Shults coached six all-conference student-athletes.

A native of Valencia, Calif., Shults played baseball at UC Riverside. He was a two-time All-Big West selection and earned 2010 All-Region and All-America honors. He set the school single-season record for RBI (62) and was drafted by the Houston Astros in 2011 before spending one season in professional baseball.

Shults earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from UC Riverside in 2011 and a master's of education in sport management from Southwestern Oklahoma State in 2013. He has a wife, Mackenzie, and a daughter, Bowie.

He replaces DJ Gasso, who left Arkansas to take a head coaching job at Tulsa.

Arkansas is coming off a historic 47-13 campaign, which featured the Razorbacks’ first trip to the Women’s College World Series in program history. The 2026 Arkansas squad’s 47 victories were the second-most in program history, while the Razorbacks’ 26 run-rule wins were a program record. At Bogle Park, Arkansas posted a 29-3 record, which marked the second-most wins and second-best winning percentage since the stadium opened in 2009, trailing only 31 wins in 2022 and a .931 winning percentage during a 27-2 campaign in 2018.

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