Jacksonville University

• Three years as head coach of the Jacksonville Dolphins
• 29 years of coaching experience, 25 at Division I level
• Nine seasons as JU pitching coach/assistant head coach
• Regarded as one of the top pitching coaches in the nation
• Coached a first-ever Freshman of the Year that also earned Pitcher of the Year, Michael Baumann, who also dawned Freshman All-American status
• Guided JU to a 33-22 finish in 2016, its best season since 2011. Nine Dolphins gained postseason notoriety from the conference, including three on the First Team and two on the All-Academic

Prior to JU:

• Fresno State (2003-2005)
• Arkansas (1998-2002)
• Cal State-Northridge (1997)
• UC-Santa Barbara (1994-1996)
• Pepperdine(1989-1990)
• Has coached, recruited or worked with 17 Major League Players
• Has recruited or coached four 1st round draft picks

Tim Montez has completed his third season as Head Coach of the Jacksonville University baseball program. In 2016, the Dolpjins improved their win total by seven compared to the 2015 campaign. Nine Dolphins were placed on the various all-conference teams, including three on the first team. Jacksonville lead the Atlantic Sun Conference in earned run average and fielding percentage, won its most games (33) since 2011, won five of seven conference series, and finished third. Jacksonville posted a season sweep of Florida State for the first time ever, and defended its home turf with a 21-7 record. Outfielder Austin Hays was selected in the third round of the Major League Baseball draft following the season.

During a decorated 2015 season, Montez coached the ASUN Pitcher of the Year and Freshman All-American Michael Baumann and saw Spencer Stockton named to All-Conference Freshman Team. The Dolphins received other honors with a first team All-Conference pick in Angelo Amendolare and second team All-Conference Connor Marabell while posting the most wins since 2011 with 26.

Amendolare and Marabell were drafted in the 50th Anniversary year of the MLB Draft to the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.  The Dolphins entered the A-Sun Championship as the No. 4 seed with a resume that included wins against No. 12 Florida State, No. 6 UCF and a 12-9 record against conference opponents. As head coach, he has defeated six top-20 teams, including a 3-1 win at No. 6 Florida on Apr. 22, 2014. His first collegiate head coaching win was one to remember as the Dolp hins posted a 2-0 shutout at No. 19 TCU, which finished the season in the College World Series. 

A 29-year coaching veteran, Montez took over the JU program at the conclusion of the 2013 season. An Associate Head Coach since 2007, he has spent the past 10 years on the JU staff and is widely regarded as one of the top pitching coaches and recruiters in the nation.

Montez has coached, recruited or worked with 17 Major League Players during the course of his career. Four of his former players have been first round draft picks, including former Dolphin ace Chris Anderson who was selected 18th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013.

Owning a natural talent to attract top prospects into the program, success has followed suit. Montez’s previous nine years with the JU program have been some of the most decorated in school history. With his assistance, the Dolphins staked claim to four regional appearances in a six- year span (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011). Along the way the team posted a 43 win mark in 2006 and made back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances for the first time since 1994-95.

The diamond is not the only area where the Dolphins have excelled. The Dolphins recorded a spring team 3.29 GPA, up from 3.17 during the fall offseason. While 14 players were named to the Dean's List for achieving a 3.5 or above, 25 in all achieved at least a 3.0. The record breaking performance backed up the 2011-12 academic year in which the Dolphins finished with a team average GPA of 3.15.

In his first season as head coach, his reputation as one of the top-pitching coaches was on display when junior RHP Alex McRae was selected in the 10th round of the 2014 MLB First Year Player draft. McRae became the 17th top ten round pick for the stories program. In addition, redshirt-sophomore RHP Justin Russell was selected second team All-Atlantic Sun. At the plate senior Scott Schaub was tagged an All-American by the NCBWA following a year in which he ranked fifth in the nation with a .407 average and sixth with a .489 on base percentage. Schaub's .178 improvement from his junior year made him a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson Award given to college baseball's breakout player of the year.

When Montez first joined the JU program as an assistant, his impact was felt immediately upon his arrival in 2006. The biggest benefactor of his presence was sophomore starter Matt Dobbins, who earned All-America honors and was named A-Sun Pitcher of the Year after tying for the most wins in the nation (12). Dobbins, who served as a position player as a freshman, had never pitched more than 3.2 innings in his Dolphin career.

In his first year on staff, the Dolphins posted the lowest team ERA in 11 years. Following up the year prior, the team ERA was even lower in 2015 making it the lowest in 12 seasons. As the team’s recruiting coordinator, Montez helped produce the 38th best recruiting class nationwide in 2006, according to Collegiate Baseball.

All told during his nine years and counting working with the JU staff, 12 different pitchers have received 14 All-A-Sun recognitions. In addition, Anderson was a Collegiate Baseball and a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-American in 2011, while Baumann garnered Freshman All-American's with the most wins since as a Dolphin since Anderson in 2013. 

In 24 seasons of Division I baseball, Montez has coached, recruited or worked with 15 major league players including Barry Zito (2002 AL Cy Young), Michael Young (2008 Gold Glove and current Los Angeles Dodgers), Cliff Lee (2008 AL Cy Young and current Philadelphia Phillies), Eric Hinske (2002 Rookie of the Year), Adam Kennedy (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Matt Garza (2008 ALCS MVP and current Milwaukee Brewer) and the recently retired 100 game winner, pitcher Russ Ortiz.

Before JU, Montez has also served as a pitching coach with Fresno State, Arkansas, Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine.

In his three years as Mike Batesole’s top assistant at Fresno State, Montez served as assistant head coach, pitching coach and recruiting coordinator while being instrumental in assembling the staff’s first ranked recruiting class (No. 16) by Collegiate Baseball.

His 2005 class was ranked No. 17 by Collegiate Baseball and featured Freshman All-America honoree third baseman Beau Mills. Under his tutelage, Cody Smith (Texas Rangers, 2003) and David Griffin (Cincinnati Reds, 2004) inked professional contracts, while Richie Robnett (Oakland A’s) and Garza (Minnesota Twins) were selected in the first round of the 2005 MLB Draft. Pitchers Doug Fister (New York Yankees - 7th round), Rudy Quinonez (Atlanta Braves - 12th round) and Michael Cooper (St. Louis Cardinals - 16th round) were also taken in the first day of the 2005 draft. The 2006 class was ranked 19th in the country giving Fresno State three straight top 20 recruiting classes in a row during Montez’s tenure.

Montez went to Fresno State following five seasons as an assistant at Arkansas under ABCA Hall of Fame head coach Norm DeBriyn. In his five years at Arkansas, Montez built a reputation for recruiting some of the top pitchers in the country. Arkansas’ ERA nearly dropped a full run in his first season, and a year later he guided the pitching staff to a school-record 22 conference victories en route to Razorbacks’ first SEC overall and Western Division titles. The team’s ERA continued its steady decline in 2002 as the team finished one game short of advancing to the College World Series.

Under Montez’s direction, each of his recruiting classes from 1998-01 for the Razorbacks were ranked among the top 30 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball.

Prior to joining Arkansas, he served for one season as the pitching coach at Cal State Northridge, before they temporarily dropped its program. The Matadors compiled a 42-20 record in 1999, thanks in large part to a pair of 11-game winners in Benny Flores and Erasmo Ramirez (who played with the Texas Rangers, Oakand Athletics and Florida Marlins from 2003-07).

A native of Southern California who grew up in Whittier, Montez has always been one step ahead of the game in his coaching career. During a redshirt season at Pepperdine, he found time to coach Esperanza High School to the playoffs with a sparkling 1.86 ERA.

Montez’s coaching talents were recognized by then Pepperdine coach Andy Lopez, who added Montez to his staff. Montez directed the Waves’ pitching staff from 1989-90 and helped Pepperdine post a 78-42-1 record over that two-year period, including a conference title. His staff was two-time ERA leaders in the West Coast Conference while guiding the Waves to a NCAA West Regional appearance in 1989. Pepperdine boasted the conference pitcher of the year in both seasons along with two freshmen All-America honorees.

Montez returned to the high school baseball circuit in 1991 as an assistant coach at Montclair Prep High School in Van Nuys, Calif., where he coached future major leaguers Brad Fullmer and Russ Ortiz. Montclair amassed a 59-12 record in the three seasons of Montez’s tenure, including a state championship in 1991.

In 1994, Montez returned to the collegiate ranks as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UC Santa Barbara. He helped lead the Gauchos to the NCAA West Regional in 1996 and signed one of the top recruiting classes (1995-96) that included five-time All-Star selection Michael Young and the following year 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito.

A four-year letterwinner at Pepperdine, Montez posted a 19-11 record while collecting three saves and helped the Waves to a Southern California Baseball Association title his senior year. He earned all-conference recognition after tallying a 6-3 record and a career-best 2.80 ERA as a sophomore. Montez was a first-round draft pick of the Mexican League’s Mexico City Reds. He played two seasons before returning to the United States to begin coaching.

Montez is the father of three sons, David (28), Ryan (23) and Adam (14) along with four grandchildren, and married Darleen Summers on New Year’s Eve. Darleen's daughter, Amy, is married and expecting her first child soon. Ryan graduated from JU in the Spring of 2015, and Montez’s niece, Monica, played softball at Florida State and was named ACC Rookie of the Year in 2006. His nephew, Mark, is also a JU grad.