Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Women's Softball

The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Athletic Department and Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Adrian Rodriguez named Mark Montgomery as the next Head Softball Coach on June 25, 2025.    Montgomery becomes the ninth leader in Islanders Softball history and brings 23 years of collegiate head coaching experience to the Island, including 20 spent at the Division I level. He most recently served as the head coach at the University of Maryland from 2020-23.   Montgomery completed his fourth season at the helm of the Maryland softball program with a record-setting 2023 season where he led the Terps to a 38-19 season, their most wins since 2011. Maryland picked up ranked wins over #3 Oklahoma State and #22 Oregon, leading the Terps to a dominant tournament season 22-5 record. Montgomery led the Terps to a program record .977 fielding percentage, which led the Big Ten, while the team also hit 36 home runs on the season, the program’s most since 2013. Maryland made their first postseason appearance since 2012 at the NISC Tournament, the program's fifth postseason appearance overall, and they finished as semifinalists. In 2022, Montgomery led the Terps to a 29-23 season, their most wins since the 2013 season at the time. Maryland's 14 conference wins that year marked the most since joining the Big Ten in 2015. The Terps also recorded a program high fifth-place finish since joining the conference. Montgomery also led the Terps to their first-ever Big Ten conference tournament victory over Michigan State in the opening round. Montgomery recorded his 600th career win against North Dakota State, the team's first Big Ten series sweep since 2018. The offensive power continued for Maryland as five players hit over .300. The team finished second in the NCAA in stolen bases with 127 on the season. In 2021, a season in which the Terps only faced Big Ten opponents, Maryland finished with a 19-25 overall record, notching two victories over ranked opponents. Montgomery produced the first Big Ten Freshman of the Year in program history that season in Jaeda McFarland. Montgomery's first season as head coach of Maryland was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Terps closed out the season with a 12-11 record in 2020. Montgomery was fresh off winning 2019 Conference USA Co-Coach of the Year honors after leading Louisiana Tech to conference regular season and tournament championships before heading to Maryland. From 2013-19, Montgomery spent the seven years as head coach at Louisiana Tech, guiding the program to two conference tournament championships (2017, 2019), two NCAA Regional appearances (2017, 2019) and five consecutive 30+ win seasons. Prior to his arrival at LA Tech, the program had recorded just one 30+ win season in its previous 23 years. In his last regular season in Ruston, Montgomery led Louisiana Tech to 45 wins, the program’s first regular season conference title and a second C-USA Tournament title and NCAA Regional appearance in the last three years. The 45 victories were the second most in program history while Tech’s 19 C-USA wins were the most ever. Prior to Louisiana Tech, Montgomery served as the head coach at Georgetown (Ky.) from 2001-02, Centenary from 2003-10 and Northern Colorado from 2011-12. The Kentucky native has led his teams to 16 winning seasons, including 13 seasons of 30+ wins and 16 with 25+ victories. While at Centenary, he led the program to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2004 and 2005, and won more than 200 games, including upset victories over Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, Minnesota, Syracuse, Boston College and New Mexico. Montgomery led Centenary to the program’s first winning season in 13 years in 2004 and a program record-tying 36 victories as Centenary captured the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament championship and advanced to the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament. The following season saw Montgomery and the Ladies win 31 games, capture their second straight Mid-Continent Tournament title and return to the NCAA Tournament. Following Centenary’s decision to drop down to Division III, Montgomery coached the Ladies in 2009 and then accepted the head coaching position at Northern Colorado where he led the program to back-to-back second place finishes in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference Mountain Division each season while being named the PCSC Mountain Division Coach of the Year in 2011. The 2012 team won a school record 25 games and broke 21 school records. Montgomery’s teams have always been highly successful away from the softball diamond as each one of them has registered a team grade point average above 3.0 for the past 15 years. His 2001 team at Georgetown College posted a cumulative GPA that ranked in the top 10 of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Academic Teams. His Northern Colorado team in 2012 finished ranked No. 2 in the country in team GPA. Prior to his collegiate coaching experience, Montgomery served as the softball coach at Lafayette (Ky.) High School where he won seven district titles, five regional titles and one state championship title while posting a 170-73 record. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky in 1992 and his master’s degree from Georgetown College in 2000. Montgomery has a fiancé, Alice Smith, and three daughters: Bailey, Emma and Adrienne.   COLLEGIATE COACHING EXPERIENCE 2001-02: Georgetown (KY), Head Coach (72-31 overall, 44-11 conference) 2003-10: Centenary, Head Coach (216-226 overall, 90-67 conference) 2011-12: Northern Colorado, Head Coach 43-63 overall, 23-17 conference) 2013-19: Louisiana Tech, Head Coach (226-163 overall, 92-66 conference) 2020-23: Maryland, Head Coach (654-561 overall, 44-43 conference)  Career Record:654-561 overall (.538 pct), 283-204 conference (.581 pct)   COACHING HONORS 2019 C-USA Softball Coach of the Year / Louisiana Coach of the Year / NFCA Mid-East Regional Coach of the Year 2017 Named Louisiana Sports Writers Softball Coach of the Year 2015 Won Conference USA SAAC All Sport Coaches Award 2011 Voted Pacific Coast Softball Conference - Mountain Division Coach of the Year 2004 Voted into Kentucky Prep Softball Hall of Fame 2002 Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year Selected as Coach of KY High School's East All Star Team in Softball in 1998 and 1999 Selected as 1992 Kentucky Soccer Coach of the Year   COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS Thirty-two years softball coaching experience Won 858 Total Games Organized and helped oversee construction of the new on-campus softball facilities at Georgetown College, Centenary, and LA Tech Raised close to a million dollars towards program development including stadium construction 2023 First Post Season Appearance for Maryland Softball in over a decade 2023 Best record since joining the B1G Conference 2022-23 3.6 Team GPA Top 20 Nationally 2022 Best finish in B1G Conference Standings ever 2022 Highest Team GPA in Athletic Department 16 Team records in four years at the University of Maryland 2018-2020 C-USA Representative to NFCA Head Softball Coaches Committee 21 Team records in last seven seasons at Louisiana Tech University 2019 Conference USA Regular Season and Tournament Champions 2019 NCAA Regional Appearance 2017 Conference USA Tournament Champions 2017 NCAA Regional Appearance 2015-2016 Multiple Player and Team Awards at Louisiana Tech 2011-2012 PCSC Representative to NFCA Head Softball Coaches Committee 2011 Team GPA ranked in NFCA Top 10 of NCAA Division I 2009 Only sport at Centenary to go to conference tournament every year while in Summit League 2006-2009 Summit League Conference Representative to NFCA Head Softball Coaches Committee 2008 Finished with Number 1 seed in Conference Tournament 2005 Mid-Continent Conference Tournament Champions 2004 & 2005 NCAA Regional Appearance 2004 Mid-Continent Conference Tournament Champions 2004 Team GPA 3.385 ranked in NFCA Division I Top 20 All Academic Teams 2001 & 2002 Mid-South Conference Tournament Champions 2002 Mid-South Regular Season Conference Champions 2002 NAIA Regional Runner-Up 2001 Team GPA ranked in NFCA NAIA Top 10 All Academic Teams   WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT MARK MONTGOMERY: Shonda Stanton - University of Indiana, Head Softball Coach: "Mark has elevated every program he touches. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is getting a coach with proven ability to build success quickly. Competing against him through the years, I always knew his teams were well-prepared, fundamentally sound, and played an aggressive, high-energy style of softball that's both tough and exciting to watch. Mark will hit the ground running and work to create a distinct identity for the Islanders."  Gerry Glasco - Texas Tech, Head Softball Coach: "Winner!!! This is a huge exciting time if you are a fan of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball! Coach Montgomery is a winner, proven and tested over and over. He can recruit and develop with the very best in college softball and will thrive in Corpus Christi! I am super excited to see him guide the Islanders softball program to the top of the Southland Conference!"  Karen Weekly - University of Tennessee, Head Softball Coach: "Mark is an excellent hire! He is an innovative offensive coach and will build teams that are fast, dynamic, and always play hard. His student-athletes will be winners both on and off the field." Glenn Moore - Baylor, Head Softball Coach: "Great hire! The hiring of Mark Montgomery is not only great for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but also the Southland Conference and NCAA Softball." Kenny Gajewski - Oklahoma State, Head Softball Coach: "I'm thrilled for Mark and for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. I've known Mark for many years and he's a great man, a strong leader, and an outstanding coach. He has the pedigree and the character to not only succeed at this level, but also develop young women into strong, confident leaders. There's no doubt in my mind that he'll do great things in this next chapter."

Head coach Mark Montgomery finalized his staff for his debut season leading the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team and named Mike Forsythe as the assistant coach/pitching coach in July 2025. Forsythe reunites with Montgomery after serving under his staff on three separate occasions at Northern Colorado, Louisiana Tech, and Maryland. His primary role has been developing pitchers, with his most recent stint at Southeast Missouri State highlighting that as the top pitching staff in the OVC Conference in 2023. Prior to SEMO, Forsythe was the pitching coach for one year at New Mexico after spending two seasons in the same role at Big Ten Conference member Maryland. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech where he worked with the pitchers. He was also the pitching coach at the Northern Colorado, Southern Connecticut State, Quinnipiac and Fordham.   At Maryland, the pitching staff dropped its team ERA from 5.84 to 3.10 and had three pitchers with under a 3.00 mark. The pitching staff lowered its opponent batting average from .356 to .249 helping the Terrapins win 19 Big Ten games in 2021, most since joining the conference.    During his time at Louisiana Tech, Forsythe played a big part in helping three Lady Techster pitchers earn First-Team All-Conference USA honors. One of those pitchers, Krystal De La Cruz, was also named C-USA Newcomer of the Year in 2017, while another, Preslee Gallaway, was tabbed C-USA Pitcher of the Year in 2018.   Additionally, the Louisiana Tech pitching staff tossed 18 shutouts during the 2017 campaign, including a 1-0 win over Florida International in the C-USA Championship game. La Tech played 11 games against Power 5 teams, combining for a 2.48 ERA. The pitching staff held seven Top-25 team to two runs or less during the 2018 season.   Forsythe brings experience beyond the collegiate game having served on the pitching staff with the Akron Racers Women’s National Pro Fastpitch League.   He and his wife, Celeste, have two children and two granddaughters.

First-year head coach Mark Montgomery has finalized his staff ahead of his debut season with the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team with the hire of Paityn Desormeaux as a Graduate Assistant Coach in August 2025.   Desormeaux joins the Islanders after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach on the Baton Rouge Community College softball staff. Her first year with the Bears was spent as the pitching coach where she developed the pitchers and was responsible for pitching strategies including choosing starters, pitches, and in-game adjustments. This last season she was named assistant coach to further elevate player performance.   A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Desormeaux has an illustrious career as a player. She continued her athletic and academic career at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. While at Spring Hill, she earned multiple accolades including National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South First Team, National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Second Team, and Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-South Second Team. She was the two-time SIAC Relief Pitcher of the Year.   Desormeaux also had a very successful high school playing career as she was a two-time All-State Team selection, a two-time All-Acadiana Team selection, a four-time All-District Team selection, and a two-time Daily Advertiser Softball Player of the Year Finalist.   Desormeaux graduated from Spring Hill College in 2022 with a degree in Health Sciences.

Head coach Mark Montgomery finalized his staff for his debut season leading the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team and named Mark Suire as assistant coach in July 2025. Suire comes from Baton Rouge Community College where he spent the last three seasons as the head softball coach. Suire was named Head Coach in 2023 and during his first season at the helm, Suire had a record of 19-28, which was tied for the second best season in program history. During his second season at the helm, Suire had a record of 24-24, which broke the all time program record for wins in a season. Suire, a native of Abbeville, La., spent one season at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas prior to BRCC. Suire led the Warriors to a 20-18 overall record in 2022 including an 8-10 mark in Southern Athletic Association play. He guided Hendrix to its best start in school history, as the Warriors began 13-1 and 6-0 in conference action.  Hendrix represented the SAA on the 2021-22 Easton/NFCA Team GPA honors list by posting a cumulative 3.51 GPA, and were one of only 115 NCAA Division III programs to earn this distinction. In addition, an SAA-best 11 Warriors earned 2021-22 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors: Prior to Hendrix, Suire spent six seasons (2016-21) as head coach at Centenary (La.), where he mentored 31 All-SCAC performers, including Anna Dunn, one of the most decorated players in program history. The 2015 SCAC Newcomer of the Year, Dunn was tabbed a NFCA third team All-America and All-West Region first team outfielder as a senior, when she set the Centenary and SCAC single-season records for home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage. In 2021, Suire guided the Ladies to their first appearance in program history in the SCAC Championship title game, a one-run loss to then No. 1-ranked Texas Lutheran, which advanced to the National Championship round of the NCAA tournament. Three Centenary players were named to the All-Tournament Team. Suire also coached six All-SCAC performers, including one first team, one second team and four honorable mention. Under Suire's guidance, the Ladies ranked second in the SCAC and 20th nationally in stolen bases. Centenary led the league in sacrifice bunts and ranked second in triples, fielding percentage and shutouts and third in home runs, walks and earned run average (ERA). Hailee Leger led the nation in saves. Mackenzie Cox was third in the SCAC with 21 stolen bases, and Kaylea Patridge fourth with 20. In 2020, Centenary was 6-6 overall before the season was canceled due to COVID-19. In 2019, Suire took the Ladies to the SCAC Championship semifinals for a second-straight season. He coached seven All-SCAC performers, including one first team, two second team and four honorable mention. The Ladies finished 12-10 in league play, their first winning record in conference play since joining the SCAC. In 2018, Suire guided Centenary to the SCAC Championship semifinals. He coached seven All-SCAC performers, including one first team, two second team and four honorable mention. In 2017, Centenary finished third in the SCAC with 12 victories, the most in nearly a decade, the Ladies had six all-conference selections,  and Wendy Gillet led the nation in sacrifice flies. Suire took over a program that prior to the 2016 season had not won double-digit games since 2010 or finished with a winning record since 2009 and posted a 23-22 overall record. Five players were voted All-SCAC, including one to the first team and four honorable mention. Prior to Centenary, Suire was a head coach in the Louisiana high school system for 20 seasons, starting in 1996 at Abbeville High School, a program that had only one win in two previous seasons. In 1998, Suire led the Wildcats to the state tournament quarterfinals. After six seasons (1996-2001), he departed with the most wins in program history. Suire worked at Delcambre High School for 12 seasons (2002-2013). After taking over a program in its second year of existence, he tallied a 227-101 overall record with the Panthers, including appearances in five state tournament semifinals and the 2008 state championship. From 2006-2010, his Delcambre teams won more postseason games than any program in Louisiana. Suire was at the helm at Catholic High School for two seasons (2014-15) with two state tournament berths and a spot in the regional playoffs in 2015. He coached football, boys' basketball and baseball at Catholic for two seasons (1992-93) and Saint Edmund High School for two (1993-95). A member of the Louisiana Softball Coaches Association (LSCA) since 2000, Suire was president of the organization for two years (2011-13), a member of the executive council for one (2009-10) and a head coach in the 2010 LSCA All-Star Game. Suire was a member of the 1988 Southland Conference champion McNeese State baseball team before transferring to Mississippi Delta Junior College (now Mississippi Delta Community College) as a sophomore and Louisiana College for two seasons (1990-91). In 1989, he helped the Trojans to a regional championship. Suire earned a Bachelor of Science in general studies from Louisiana Lafayette in 1992 and attended Abbeville High School. Mark and his fiancee, Ashlyn Grossie, have one daughter, Anlee, and one son, Dalton.