It took less than 24 hours for Gardner-Webb to announce a new head softball coach after Softball On SI published a bombshell report about the previous one.Matt Burns is taking over the Runnin' Bulldogs program, according to a press release published Wednesday afternoon.Burns spent the previous three seasons at Ball State, first as an assistand before being elevtaed to associate head coach for the last two.Not even 24 hours after this explosive report about why Bailey Wigness was not renewed, Gardner-Webb has hired Matt Burns as its next head coach.Burns was most recently the associate head coach at Ball State. https://t.co/MvtqBivHOv pic.twitter.com/dSH61KDLdU— Maren Angus-Coombs (@Maren_Angus) June 24, 2026"We are excited to welcome Matt to our Runnin' Bulldogs family," athletic director Brendan Fahey said. "Matt has proven himself at all levels of the game and we believe he's the right person to take this program to the highest level. We look forward to seeing our student-athletes take big steps towards success both on the field and in the classroom under his leadership, helping to establish Gardner-Webb softball as a true contender"Before Ball State, Burns spent two seasons at Charleston and one season at Longwood.Burns got his start in Division I at Bucknell, where he was an assistant coach from 2017-2019. He took over as the head coach during the COVID-shortened 2020 season."I'm incredibly grateful to President Nate Evans, Brendan Fahey, and Clare Alaimo for the opportunity to lead the Gardner-Webb softball program," said Burns. My family and I couldn't be more excited to get to campus, become part of the community, and begin building something special. 'Sko Dawgs!"Previous Head Coach Not Retained After Investigation The announcement of Burns couldn't have come at a better time for Gardner-Webb, as Softball On SI published a report revealing details of an investigation that led to the contract of Bailey Wigness not being renewed.Wigness was the Gardner-Webb head coach for parts of six years, taking over after the 2021 season.The investigation during the 2026 season uncovered that Wigness had allegedly pursued romantic relationships with multiple student-athletes and coaches within the softball program.An email from a former student-athlete to Fahey and Alaimo, dated May 17, 2026, and obtained by Softball On SI, raised concerns about Wigness having inappropriate relationships with at least four student-athletes at three schools, spanning 11 years.Gardner-Webb is not retaining softball coach Bailey Wigness after an investigation into alleged relationships with student-athletes and coaches.Documents obtained by Softball On SI show concerns were raised about alleged relationships involving athletes at multiple schools.…— Maren Angus-Coombs (@Maren_Angus) June 23, 2026Before Gardner-Webb, Wigness was the head coach at South Carolina-Beaufort and was an assistant coach at Boise State.Wigness did not coach the Runnin' Bulldogs in the 2026 Big South conference tournament and on June 1, Fahey announced that the university would not be renewing her contract.Wigness played collegiately at Arizona State (2010-2014). Neither Gardner-Webb nor Wigness responded to requests for comment from Softball On SI.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow