meganmartinez

meganmartinezMegan Martinez, a member of the 2001 Long Beach City College State Championship Softball team, has been named the new softball head coach at LBCC, the college announced Monday.

“I am happy to welcome Megan into the Long Beach City College Athletic Department,” said LBCC Athletic Director Randy Totorp in a statement. “Coach Martinez has earned much respect among South Coast Conference and California Community College Athletic Association softball programs across the state. We are excited for this former and accomplished Viking to take the lead of the softball program and work toward future student and program success.”

Martinez arrives at LBCC after serving as head coach for five seasons at nearby El Camino College, Compton Center. While at Compton, Martinez’ responsibilities included building the softball program from the ground up and transforming the Tartars into a highly competitive squad. Compton had a bit of a rusty start in 2011 without a win, but for the past two years have churned out winning seasons.

During the 2015 spring softball season, Martinez led Compton to a 23-16 overall record and 9-12 South Coast Conference record to finish in fourth place, according to the release.

Despite her recent success at Compton, Martinez is thrilled to be returning to lead the program she was once a proud member of.

“I’m very excited to be back and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead the Vikings,” said Martinez in a statement. “There is nothing more rewarding than being able to return home and give back to the college and program that provided me with the experiences of a lifetime, including winning a state championship. LBCC has always held a special place in my heart and to be able to be back on the Viking field is truly an honor.”

Martinez, formerly Megan Barranco, was a two-year member of the LBCC softball team that compiled an impressive 87-10-1 record over the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In 2000, the Vikings captured a South Coast Conference title and earned a state championship runner-up finish before winning a conference and state title in 2001.

According to the college, after leaving LBCC, Martinez went on to play at nearby Cal State Dominguez Hills where she was a two-year captain. After closing out her playing career, she joined the coaching staff at CSUDH and helped lead the team to a California Collegiate Athletic Association conference championship in 2005 and three NCAA postseason appearances.

She graduated with honors (cum laude) from LBCC with an AA degree in liberal arts and received her bachelor’s degree in English literature with a minor in communications in 2004. Most recently in July, Martinez earned her master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University, Irvine.

The new softball head coach is a Lakewood native and attended St. Joseph High School. She, her husband Yusef, and two daughters currently reside in Long Beach.

Martinez replaces Melissa Angel, who left the college after serving as head coach at LBCC for the past eight seasons. The Vikings recently compiled a 14-25-1 overall record this past spring and went 7-14 in conference play.

Photo courtesy of LBCC.

Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].