Steve Rianda began as Academy of Art University softball head coach in September 2019 after joining the program as an assistant coach in February 2019.
Most recently at Notre Dame de Namur from 2008-2015, Rianda was on the other side of many matchups with Academy of Art while he helped the Argonauts become a consistent Pacific West Conference contender. In 2013, the team would go 34-18 overall and finish third in the PacWest standings with a 23-9 conference record.
Prior to what was his second stint with NDNU, Rianda could be found working as head softball coach at Santa Clara. In his first season at Santa Clara in 2005-06, Rianda led the Broncos to an 11-9 record in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference.
Before his appointment in June 2005, the Belmont native spent four seasons as NDNU head coach, where he led the Argos to three straight Cal Pac Independent League championships during their time as an NAIA institution. His 2003 squad set a new program mark for wins (34) and he followed in 2004 with a third-place finish at State. His final two seasons saw 12 Daktronics Academic All-Americans and two All-Region First Team selections.
Beginning in 1997, Rianda served as assistant baseball coach at the College of San Mateo for three years. He moved on to the Bulldogs' softball program in 2000, where he was a pitching coach. The 2001 CSM team won the Northern California Conference and was the Junior College North Champion.
Rianda earned his master's degree in Counseling from Boston University in 1996 after his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from Cal Poly in 1995. Both came with concentrations in Sports Psychology. Rianda resides in Belmont with his wife, Tanya, and two children, Alexis and Garrett.
