Pacific Coast Softball Conference

GREELEY,Colo. -- A new voice is set to lead Northern Colorado softball, and that voice is decidedly southern.

Mark Montgomery, who has spent the previous eight seasons as head coach of the Centenary Ladies in Shreveport, La., has been named the program’s third head coach since the Bears’ softball reinstatement in 1999.

Northern Colorado Director of Athletics Jay Hinrichs announced Montgomery’s hiring Friday morning.

Montgomery, a Kentucky native with more than 20 years of softball coaching experience at the high school level and above in Kentucky and Louisiana, resigned from Centenary last month amid the institution’s reclassification to the NCAA Division III level.

He replaces Jen Schunke, who decided to step away from Northern Colorado last month after four years at the helm of the program.

“The first thing the selection committee and I noticed about Coach Montgomery was his motor,” Hinrichs said. “He’s a players’ coach who’s going to be tough to slow down and will come in and do everything he can for this athletic department.

“We appreciate everything Coach Schunke accomplished while she was with us, including her great recruiting and her role in getting us into the Pacific Coast Softball Conference.”

The Bears finished 19-33 overall this season and 10-10 in their inaugural year in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. That overall mark represented a third straight year of improvement under Schunke, who guided Northern Colorado through a transition period from NCAA Division II to Division I.

Montgomery comes to Greeley with a 216-226 Division I coaching record and says he’s excited to continue the program’s growth and see it through to even greater heights. In his eight years at Centenary, he oversaw a similar ascension, brining the Ladies from an independent team to an NCAA Regional participant in 2004 and 2005.

“Taking over at Northern Colorado is an exceptional opportunity for me and my family because of the growth the university has shown over much of the last few years,” Montgomery said. “That growth is extremely exciting, and I’m grateful to now be a part of it. The Northern Colorado ceiling is so high right now, and it’s my aim to grow this program into one that is able to compete with some of the nation’s top programs.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity Mr. (Jay) Hinrichs has offered me, and I’m looking forward to this exciting new chapter in my life and my family’s life as we move west and become part of the Northern Colorado family.”

Centenary notched 30 or more wins in five of Montgomery’s eight seasons in Louisiana, and his 2004 squad tied the school record for victories in a single season with 36.

Centenary finished atop the Mid-Continent Conference (now The Summit League) in that 2004 campaign and advanced to an NCAA Regional, where top-ranked Arizona awaited. The Ladies came close to a shocker, holding a 1-0 lead through six innings, but their impressive run ended with a 2-1 loss to the Wildcats.

“Mark’s team executed a near perfect game plan (against us),” said Arizona assistant coach Larry Ray. “I have yet to see a team devise a defense that has shut down our speed game like he did then.”

While at Centenary, Montgomery coached 23 all-conference players, two conference newcomers of the year, one conference pitcher of the year, two conference tournament MVPs and several conference all-tournament players.

Montgomery also served as Centenary’s Assistant Athletic Director for Development, overseeing a major renovation to the Ladies’ Softball Complex in 2009, including new dugouts, sound system, and a brick backstop. He was also instrumental in the start up of Centenary's C-Club, the athletic department’s primary booster club, and securing the Ladies’eventual membership into The Summit League.

Montgomery joined Centenary in August 2002 after spending the two previous years as the head coach at Georgetown College in Kentucky. He guided the Tigers to a 72-31 record in two seasons, while advancing to the NAIA Regional tournament both years. He was named Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year in 2002.

Prior to Georgetown, Montgomery served as an assistant coach in 2000 at the University of Kentucky. Throughout the 1990s, Montgomery was a successful high school coach at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Ky., and Richmond Model High School in Richmond, Ky.

While at Lexington, Montgomery led his team to seven district titles, five regional titles and a state championship. He was later inducted into the Kentucky High School Softball Hall of Fame in June of 2004.

Montgomery received his bachelor’s degree in history education from Eastern Kentucky in 1992 and his master’s degree in secondary education from Georgetown College in 2000. He and his wife Melanie have three daughters, Bailey, Emma and Adrienne.

MONTGOMERY’S NCAA DIVISION I COACHING RESUME