In 2023, Montgomery led the Terps to a 38-19 season, their most wins since the 2011 season. Maryland picked up ranked wins over #3 Oklahoma State and #22 Oregon, leading the Terps to a dominant tournament season 22-5 record. The Terps recorded their first-ever three shutout Big Ten series sweep over Michigan State, outscoring the Spartans 22-0. Montgomery led the Terps to a program record .977 fielding percentage, which led the Big Ten. Maryland also hit 36 home runs on the season, the most since 2013. Maryland made their first postseason appearance since 2012 at the NISC Tournament, the program's fifth postseason appearance overall; The Terps finished as semifinalists.
In 2022, Montgomery led the Terps to a 29-23 season, their most wins since the 2013 season. Maryland's 14 conference wins are 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 the 2021 season, 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 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.
Director of Athletics Damon Evans officially announced the hiring of Mark Montgomery as the fifth head coach in the history of the University of Maryland’s softball program on September 9, 2019.
Fresh off winning 2019 Conference USA Co-Coach of the Year honors after leading Louisiana Tech to conference regular season and tournament championships, Montgomery came to College Park with 19 years of experience as a head coach at the collegiate level.
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 Tech, the program had recorded just one 30+ win season in the 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.
Montgomery owns a mark of 616-542 in 22 seasons as a head coach (19 at the Division I level), including a 226-161 record at Louisiana Tech.
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 15 winning seasons during his 22 years, including 12 seasons of 30 or more wins and 15 with 25 or more 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 (2nd place) 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 three daughters: Bailey, Emma and Adrienne.
What They're Saying About Montgomery
“I’ve known Mark for over 20 years and in those years we’ve become good friends. He always takes time to talk to his peers and is willing to help to make the sport of softball better, first and foremost. He’s an excellent tactician and a teacher of the game. I feel Maryland is getting a really good coach. If you go back over his career he’s built great winning cultures at each stop. Players love playing for him and competing for him and he makes them better. I think Maryland is getting a guy that they will love working with who will always put Maryland first. He’s a proven winner. I know he’s wanted an opportunity to coach at a Power-5 school and I’m excited to see what he’s able to do because he’s the type of person who can get Maryland where it can be. He’s a great family man and all around human being.”
-- Jamie Pinkerton, Iowa State Head Coach
“Maryland has made a great hire in Mark Montgomery. He is a proven winner at every level. Mark has built his success on consistently developing and getting the most out of his student-athletes and I think he will continue to do the same at Maryland.”
-- Courtney Deifel, Arkansas Head Coach
“Maryland has done its homework! Mark Montgomery can develop talent and then develop that talent as well as anyone in the game. He will quickly make the Terrapins compete in the Big Ten. Great hire!”
-- Glen Moore, Baylor Head Coach
“I have known Mark Montgomery since his Centenary days and he has always been one of the top strategists in the game. He is a great leader, family man and competitor. Mark is a softball veteran and is well deserving of this new opportunity in the Big Ten.”
-- Tyra Perry, Illinois Head Coach
Updated July 27, 2023.