Emily Montanez began as assistant coach with Academy of Art University softball in the fall of 2016 after serving as a volunteer in 2015-16.
Driven to significantly surpass the program wins record by a unifying theme known as "On The 30," ART U's 2018 highlights included two double-digit win streaks, victories over three ranked opponents (
No. 15 CSUMB,
No. 17 CUI,
No. 13 SSU), the Urban Knights' first NCAA Tournament appearance,
six All-Pacific West Conference Team honorees, and their
first All-American in freshman pitcher Brooke Larsen. Academy of Art broke the program wins record by 11 with a 40-18 campaign in addition to several other single-season records including runs (266), hits (457), doubles (86), runs batted in (240), walks (163), earned run average (1.97), shutouts (16), innings pitched (387.0), and batting average against (.227).
An influx of youth energized Academy of Art University softball throughout its 2017 season. Highlights from a squad that would produce the most
All-PacWest Team honorees in program history included the best collective single-season batting average (.315), six doubleheader sweeps, ART U's first two no-hitters against NCAA Division II opponents, and the Urban Knights' fourth time posting at least 25 victories. The team, who went 25-25 overall, collected a total of five PacWest weekly awards and put six players on the All-PacWest Team including freshman pitcher Hannah Rose Balke who set the program's single-season wins record (21) and tossed no-hitters against Notre Dame de Namur (
Mar. 10) and versus Holy Names (
Apr. 9).
In 2016, Montanez helped guide the Urban Knights through one of the most challenging schedules the program has seen to a 17-34-1 overall record and 13-19 in the
PacWest. ART U won six of its first seven conference games and later had one of its biggest highlights - breaking the program's home runs record in an
upset of No. 16 California Baptist, the highest ranked team faced since 2011. At the season's end, the Knights collected two
All-PacWest Team honors with Jessica West (First Team) and Brenna Mitchell (Third Team), a program record four
DII Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athlete awards, and 10
Academic All-PacWest selections.
Previously at Cal State East Bay, Montanez served as an assistant coach for Pioneer softball for two seasons after playing four years with the program. She also worked as an equipment room tech at the Cal State East Bay Field House.
As a first baseman/designated hitter, Montanez earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete Team and All-CCAA Academic Team honors. She ranks in the program’s all-time top-10 with 155 hits (6th), nine home runs (T-10th), and 77 runs scored (10th). She appeared in 203 games and finished her career with a .983 fielding percentage. She was part of a 2012 squad the finished 31-24 and posted the best win-loss record in over a decade.
Montanez has previous coaching experience including four years with the Salinas Force 12&U, 14&U, and 16&U fastpitch travel teams.
She earned her Masters of Arts in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University.
