National Championship Appearances: 3
------------------------------------------------

Penny Siqueiros, former coach and player at Florida State, was appointed the first Emory University head softball coach in the summer of 1998. In 13 seasons at Emory, Siqueiros has amassed a career record of 411-137-1 with three softball World Series appearances, three NCAA regional championships, nine NCAA tournament berths and five conference titles.

Following the 2011 season, she ranks among the top 15 active NCAA Division III coaches for best career winning percentage (.749). Siqueiros has directed the Eagles to nine seasons of 30 or more wins and two of 40 or more triumphs.

She has been honored as the NCAA Division III regional Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2002, 2006 and 2007. She and her assistants have been honored five times as the conference Coaching Staff of the Year.

Siqueiros has mentored eight different players to a total of nine All-America berths, the most recent being the trio of Jessica Thomas (2nd team), Megan Light (2nd team) and Bridget Holloway (3rd team) in 2011.

Emory recorded the school's 12th consecutive winning season in 2011, manufacturing an overall record of 41-4-1 which represented the second-highest win total in school history. Emory ended the year as the No. 1-ranked team in the Atlantic Region and held down the No. 11 position in the final NFCA Top 25 Poll.  After a one-year hiatus, the Eagles earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament where it played in the Salisbury Regional. The Eagles established a school record for most regular-season wins with 40 and also registered a school record with a 26-game winning streak. Other impressive accomplishments turned in by the 2011 Eagles included: capturing its second straight and fifth UAA Championship in the 13-year history of the program, outscoring the eight opponents by an 84-5 margin, tying the school record and ranking 11th nationally in hitting (.362), establishing a school record in both home runs (36) and RBIs (285).

In 2010, Emory finished with an overall record of 25-16,  the 11^th straight effort of 20 or more wins by the program.  Other notable accomplishments that the 2010 club claimed was winning the UAA Championship, leading the UAA and ranking 16^th nationally in hitting with a .348 mark, the second-highest effort in school history, ranking fifth nationally in fielding percentage (.972) and 58^th in slugging percentage (.464).

In 2009, the Eagles manufactured a final won-lost mark of 32-12 and were slotted as the No. 27 team in the nation in the final NFCA Poll. Emory nailed down its fourth consecutive and eighth NCAA Tournament bid when they were awarded an at-large entry and drew the No. 3 seed in the Salisbury Regional. In the team statistical department, Emory ended 2009 ranked prominently on the national scene in hitting (32nd, .334), ERA (17th, 1.38), 31st in slugging percentage (.479) and 33rd in fielding percentage (.965). The team did establish a school mark with 25 home runs which surpassed the previous standard of 21 set by the 2007 squad.

In 2008, Emory compiled a final mark of 29-12 and were ranked 27th nationally in the NFCA Poll. The Eagles secured their third consecutive and seventh NCAA Tournament bid when they were selected as an at-large entry. Helping the Eagles land the post-season spot was a strong second half of the year that saw them capture 16 of their final 20 regular-season contests. Emory ended the campaing ranked nationally in a number of statistical categories including batting average (t-14th, .346), ERA (15th, 1.49), fielding percentage (7th, .973), and stolen bases per game (12th, 2.20).

In 2007, the Eagles rolled to an overall record of 33-8, the seventh straight season of 30 or more victories. Along the way, Emory posted an 18-game win streak, the second-longest in school history, while posting a No. 7 final national ranking, the program's highest finish since 2003. After earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, Emory rattled off four straight wins in regional action that propelled it into the NCAA Championships for the third time in her tenure as head coach.

In 2006, the squad earned the program's fifth bid to the NCAA Tournament in six seasons and closed out the year with an overall record of 36-11, the sixth consecutive campaign of 30 or more wins.

In 2004, the team earned its fourth consecutive berth in the NCAA national tournament despite graduating an All-American and two all-region players.

In 2003, the team was ranked No. 1 in the nation for four weeks before finishing fourth at the Division III World Series and fourth in the final NFCA poll. Emory compiled a 38-6 record, setting a school record with an .863 season win percentage. Emory won the NCAA regional championship for a second consecutive year and the conference title for the third year in a row.

In 2002, the program's fourth season varsity competition, Emory finished third at the NCAA Division III national finals in their first-ever appearance. The Eagles advanced by winning the NCAA regional championship for the first time. The team set a school record for victories (43) in a season and finished with its highest ever national ranking (third) from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The Eagles won the conference title for the second consecutive year.

In 2001, its third year of existence, the Eagles won 37 games, nearly doubling their previous best total. Coach Siqueiros led the team to its first-ever conference championship and first-ever berth in the NCAA national tournament.

The team needed only two years to enjoy its first winning season with a 21-13 record in 2000 along with a second-place finish at the University Athletic Association championship.

Siqueiros was an assistant coach for three years at Florida State which was ranked as high as 10th in the nation among NCAA Division I schools. She served primarily as the outfield and hitting coach helping the Seminoles finish 13th in the nation for team batting average in 1995 and 15th nationally in 1993.

As a player, Siqueiros was named the female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference her senior year. The shortstop was twice voted to the all-region team by the coaches' association. She helped Florida State to the College World Series three times, finishing third, fifth and seventh, respectively. As a junior, Siqueiros was honored as the team's Most Valuable Player and Most Inspirational Athlete.

Siqueiros earned her undergraduate (1992) and master's (1995) degrees from Florida State. Prior to joining Emory, she spent three years as a Facilitator & Coordinating Instructor at The Disney Institute in Orlando, Fla.

Lee Dobbins was named Emory assistant softball coach in July of 2011.

Dobbins owns a vast softball background and spent the 2010-11 campaign as an assistant coach at Division I University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he worked primarily with the pitchers and catchers.  This past year he helped the Lady Mocs to an overall record of 44-14 that set a school single-season record with a winning percentage of .759.  Chattanooga won its 12 Southern Conference regular season championship, 11th SoCon Tournament title and made the program’s eighth NCAA Regional appearance where it advanced to the Tuscaloosa Regional final for the first time in program history.  Under his tutelage, closer Kandice Irwin tied for first in saves in the NCAA with eight in 2011. It was her second straight year atop the country as she posted 11 as a junior.  In addition, SoCon Player of the Year Michelle Fuzzard led the team with an 18-6 won-lost mark in the circle.  It was his third stint with the Mocs, starting as a volunteer assistant in 2005 before returning for the 2006- 2007 school year as the director of softball operations.  In between those stops at UTC, Dobbins served as the head at Lander University during the 2006 season.

“Lee Dobbins will be a tremendous addition to the Emory program,” Siqueiros stated.  “He brings a vast amount of collegiate experience in all facets of the game. His passion for instruction, experience with recruiting, detail towards achieving excellence, and drive to win a national championship fit very nicely into the scope of our program. I'm extremely pleased to welcome Lee as our newly appointed assistant.”

During the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, Dobbins was an assistant on the Austin Peay State University staff where he handled recruiting along with coaching the pitchers and catchers.  In his first year with the Lady Govs, the team’s ERA dropped from 5.75 to 3.59 while the mounds corps struck out an average of two more batters per game.

Before landing the head coaching spot at Lander, Dobbins gained experience as an assistant at Tusculum from 2003-04.  He broke into the collegiate ranks as a student assistant at Chattanooga State Technical Community College in 1997 and also served at Tennessee from 1999-2000.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the Emory Softball and the university,” Dobbins said of his appointment.  “To be affiliated with not only a solid softball program but a school and athletic department that truly exemplifies and puts the "student" in student-athlete is exciting.  Coach Siqueiros has built a national powerhouse at Emory and the prospect of helping the program take another step toward the top is very appealing. Emory has all the tools to be the top team in all of Division III and with my experience I hope to be able to help make that a reality.”

In addition to coaching, Dobbins also has served as the executive director of the Ace Softball Inc. Fun-In-The-Sun Classic. The Bradenton, Fla. tournament draws college teams from all NCAA Divisions throughout the country during the spring.

Dobbins claims international experience as well, serving as the head coach of the 2006 Athletes International College Goodwill Team from Munich, Germany. Dobbins worked at the National Training Facility in Barcelona, Spain as a video consultant for the Spanish National Softball Team in 2002.

Lee is an active member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). He has also served as camp instructor and camp director at several high-level college camps throughout the southeast over the past several years.

Dobbins obtained his bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Tennessee in 2002.  

John Thomas joined the Emory softball program starting in the 2009-10 school year.

Thomas joined the Eagles having served as an assistant coach at West Springfield High School in Virginia from 2003-09, helping the program to Patriot District championships in 2003 and 2009.   

In addition, he has coached with various teams of the nationally prominent Shamrocks of the American Softball Association from 2003 through 2008.