Softball

Steve Rianda begins his second season at the helm of the Santa Clara softball program. In his first season at Santa Clara in 2005-06, Rianda led the Broncos to an 11-9 record in the Pacific Coast Softball Conference. "We are excited about the new brand of Bronco Softball," Rianda said. "We have a very talented core of athletes and it will be exciting to see how they perform this year. We have set very high goals for this season and the girls are up for the challenge." Before his appointment in June 2005, the Belmont native spent the previous four seasons as the head coach of Notre Dame de Namur University, where he led the Argos to three straight Cal Pac Independent League championships. His 2003 squad set a new program mark for wins (34) and he followed in 2004 with a third-place finish at State. The past two seasons have seen 12 Daktronics Academic All-Americans and two All-Region first-team selections. Rianda began his playing career at the College of San Mateo, where he was named his team's MVP after the 1991 season. He transferred to Cal Poly, where he was a catcher on two squads that advanced to the College World Series; the 1992 team placed second and the '93 squad followed with a third-place showing. Rianda's coaching career began in 1995 at Boston University, where he was the Terriers' head pitching coach and West Coast regional recruiter while earning a master's degree. In 1997, he returned to the College of San Mateo, where he served three years as an assistant coach. He moved on to the Bulldogs' softball program in 2000, where he was a pitching coach. The 2001 CSM team won the Northern California Conference and was also the Junior College North Champion. While coaching, Rianda also developed a successful background in administration and sales, and currently is also a region sales rep for a sporting goods and equipment sales company. Rianda earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and sport psychology from Cal Poly in 1995 and followed with a master's of education in sport psychology and counseling from Boston University in '96. He and his wife, Tanya, have two children: three-year-old Alexis and one-year-old Garrett. An avid runner, Rianda participated in the 1995 L.A. Marathon and the 1999 Napa Valley Marathon, while also taking part in the 1996 Wildflower Triathlon.