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Belmont University

Belmont University Athletics
 Curb Event Center - 2002 Belmont Blvd. Nashville, TN 37212
Division 1 Tennessee Southeast
Private Medium National competitor
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Coaches

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Laura Matthews

Belmont University Director of Athletics Scott Corley announced on July 20, 2020 the hiring of Laura Matthews as the 13th head softball coach in program history.


"I am excited to welcome Laura into the Belmont family as our next softball coach. We had an extremely deep pool of candidates but throughout the process Laura's name kept coming up," said Corley.


"In the end, she had all the attributes we were looking for; head coaching experience, winning pedigree, ability to recruit, and placing the needs of her student-athletes first. Also, being a Nashville native and having a sister who graduated from Belmont, Laura has a great understanding of our university and athletic program."


She joins the Bruins after holding a similar position at Wright State from 2017 until the university eliminated the program in Spring 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.


While with the Raiders, Matthews helmed a program that posted a .298 team batting in the pandemic shortened 2020 season, which stood 36th nationally outside of Power 5 institutions. WSU also led the Horizon League in batting average, home runs and slugging percentage.


Committed to student-athlete excellence in the classroom, Matthews has seen three players named to the Horizon League's All-Academic Team as well as more than 15 earn Honor Roll distinction from the conference.


An eye for talent, Matthews coached the 2018 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year in her first season with the program. The Raiders also boasted nine All-Conference performers during her stint as head coach.


Prior to her arrival at Wright State, she served for five years as the head coach at Wittenberg University in Ohio. During her turn at the Division III perennial standout, Matthews led the Tigers to a 128-57-1 record for a .691 winning percentage. Her teams finished first or second in each season in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), including the regular-season title in 2017 and a nod for Matthews as the NCAC Coach of the Year plus a trip to the NCAA tournament the previous season. Seven Tigers went on to be recognized as All-Region honorees, five league Newcomers of the Year, two Pitchers of the Year, 26 all league players and a CoSIDA Academic All American during her five seasons.


She began her career as an assistant coach, spending four years at Lake Forest. The program posted an overall record of 72-68-1 during that span. Matthews oversaw the pitching staff and helped the Foresters drop their team earned run average by 0.70 runs per game in 2012. Lake Forest received recognition as they were ranked 24th nationally when they finished 24-14-1.


"I'm so honored to be named the head coach of the Belmont softball program," Matthews said. "Belmont is a truly special university, and I want to thank Scott Corley, Renee Schultz and the rest of the hiring committee for the opportunity to be a Bruin. I can't wait to get to campus and get to work with the women in this program as we look to build a top OVC softball program," Matthews said.


Matthews will be returning to her Nashville roots as she takes the helm of the Bruin program. The graduate of Franklin Road Academy completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Dayton, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2008. The four-year letter winner was tabbed an Academic All-America selection by both the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and ESPN The Magazine and College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) during her senior campaign. The catcher also earned an Academic All-Conference nod from the Atlantic 10, finishing with career-best marks in hits (44), runs (37), doubles (8), runners caught stealing (16) and a team-best .462 on-base percentage while starting all 51 games behind the plate for the Flyers.


Matthews and family reside in Nashville.

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Erin Kuba

Belmont University softball head coach Laura Matthews announced Monday, July 17 the hire of Erin Kuba as an assistant coach within the Bruin program.


Kuba comes to Nashville after spending the 2023 season serving as the associate head coach at Upper Iowa University, an NCAA Division II program in Fayette, Iowa.


This followed a brief stint as a volunteer assistant coach with Boise State and one season as a graduate assistant coach at Grand View.


"We are very excited to have Erin join our coaching staff," Matthews said. "She has experience specifically in defense and hitting, and will bring a new energy and fresh perspective to our team."


The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native played two seasons at Indian Hills Community College before transferring to Utah State University where she spent the next two years.


While at Indian Hills Community College, Kuba was selected to the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) all-conference teams in 2017 and 2018. As a sophomore, Kuba batted .422 and led the team with 23 doubles, two triples and 13 home runs. She would be named 2018 ICCAC Player of the Year and NFCA All-American.


Kuba appeared in 35 games, with 30 starts, as a junior at Utah State. She batted .290 with 20 hits, three doubles, and one home run en route to 2019 Female Newcomer of the Year honors.


A member of the Mountain West All-Academic Team and two-time recipient of Utah State's Joe E. and Elma Whiteside's Scholar-Athlete Award, Kuba had her career shortened due to medical hardship.


A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Kuba earned her bachelor's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in K-12 physical education from Utah State and her master's degree in education from Grand View.

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Emlyn Knerem

Belmont University softball head coach Laura Matthews announced the hire of Emlyn Knerem [EM-lynn kah-NARE-um] as an assistant coach within the Bruin program on July 1, 2024.


Knerem brings an extensive coaching and playing resume to Belmont, having spent the past seven seasons as head coach at Ashland (OH) University.


"We are excited to have Emlyn join our coaching staff," Matthews said. "Her experiences in the dugout and on the mound will bring a new perspective to our program. Emlyn has high credibility as a coach and record-setting pitcher. Her insight on player development and recruiting will position us well to compete for the Missouri Valley Conference championship."


The Brunswick, Ohio native spent five seasons as an assistant coach, including stops at Kent State, West Virginia Wesleyan and Averett. Notably, Knerem was part of the 2017 Kent State softball team that won the Mid-American Conference Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament.


Knerem stands among the most decorated pitchers in the history of NCAA softball. At Ashland, she was a two-time NCAA All-America selection, four-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) all-league selection, 2012 GLIAC Pitcher of the Year and 2009 GLIAC Freshman of the Year.


She led the Eagles to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and three NCAA Tournament victories.


Knerem ranks second all-time in GLIAC history in strikeouts (1106) and innings pitched (834.2) and fourth in wins (95). She also posted a career 1.54 earned-run average and 11 saves.


A native of Brunswick, Ohio, Knerem earned her bachelor's degree in sport management with a minor in business administration and coaching from Ashland and her master's degree in coaching from Ohio University.

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