Emily Murphy enters her first season as an assistant coach with the Norfolk State softball program in 2018. She arrived at NSU after a successful four-year career at Longwood and one season as an assistant coach with her alma mater.
Murphy was part of a coaching staff at Longwood that led the Lancers to the Big South title in 2017 and an appearance in the NCAA Regional. Longwood won a pair of games in the tournament and posted another 30-win season in Murphy’s one season as assistant coach.
She coached the middle infielders and hitters while coordinating team travel, camps and clinics. Outside of softball, she also served as an athletic tutor coordinator within the athletic department, hiring tutors and scheduling appointments with student-athletes.
Murphy was a star for the Longwood program during her four-year career from 2013-16, earning four straight All-Big South and VaSID All-State honors during her time there. She was named second-team All-Big South and to the Big South All-Freshman Team in 2013 and then first-team all-conference each year from 2014-16.
She led Longwood to Big South titles in 2013, ’15 and ’16 and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearances. Her senior class finished as the winningest in program history, accumulating 155 wins during Murphy’s four-year career. She never missed a game during her career, starting every game at shortstop all four years.
She was named first-team VaSID All State in 2013, ’15 and ’16 and second team in ’14. Longwood also captured Big South regular season titles in 2015 and ‘16 and won three games in the NCAA Tournament during her time there. She was a member of all three of Longwood’s 40-win seasons in school history.
Murphy ended her career at Longwood with a .309 batting average and 182 runs, 212 hits, 38 doubles, 50 home runs, 192 RBI, 127 walks and 66 stolen bases in 233 games played. She finished in the top four in school history in runs, home runs, RBI, stolen bases and games played as well as in the top six in Big South history in runs, home runs and RBI.
As a senior, she finished as the runner-up in the voting for Big South Player of the Year. She made an appearance on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays as a junior with a defensive play in the NCAA Tournament against Tennessee.
Murphy was a member of the Dean’s List and a Longwood Scholar-Athlete Award Recipient. She graduated Cum Laude with a bachelor’s in exercise science from Longwood in August of 2016. She is currently working on her masters of education in sport leadership at VCU.
A native of Virginia Beach, Murphy was a four-year letterwinner at Kempsville High School, where she became a two-time All-Region and two-time All-State selection.
