San Diego State head softball coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz announced the hiring of Amanda “AK” Kamekona as an assistant coach on September 16, 2026. Kamekona has been a minor league baseball hitting coach in the Cleveland Guardians organization for the past four seasons.
“I am thrilled to welcome Amanda Kamekona to our staff as our new hitting coach!” Coach Nuveman Deniz exclaimed. “Amanda brings a rare perspective to our program from her experience working in player development at the professional level with the Cleveland Guardians. It gives her a lens on hitting that few college softball coaches have access to. She has a gift for meeting each hitter where they are and building an individualized plan around their swing, rather than forcing every player into the same mold. Beyond her experience and skill set, she is an amazing communicator, mentor and human. We are beyond fortunate to bring her into our Aztec Softball tribe and back into the sport of softball!”
Kamekona became the first woman to work in an on-field capacity in the history of the Cleveland Guardians franchise when she was hired ahead of the 2023 season. She helped the Double-A Akron Rubberducks to a second-half championship in the Eastern League in 2024. While with the Rubberducks, Kamekona coached a number of future big leaguers including Chase DeLauter, CJ Kayfus, Petey Halpin and Kahlil Watson. Kamekona moved to work with the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats as the hitting coach in 2025. The Hillcats won the Carolina League in 2025, also taking first place in the first half of the season and winning the North Division. In March of 2025, Kamekona was honored by Major League Baseball as one of eight game-changing women in baseball. The Hillcats rebranded ahead of the 2026 campaign, playing as the Hill City Howlers.
The most recent softball coaching experience for Kamekona came as the head coach for the California Bombers Fastpitch team in Chino Hills, California, from 2020-2023. She also was the head coach at Bishop Amat Memorial High in La Puente, California, from the 2020-21 season through the fall of 2022.
Prior to those coaching positions, Kamekona was the chief operating officer of Ruthless Sports Training for four years from 2016 through 2020.
Kamekona has two previous college coaching jobs, most recently as the head coach at NCAA Division III Brevard College, in Brevard, North Carolina, in 2014 and 2015. In her first season with the Tornados, Kamekona led the team to an 11-9 record in USA South Athletic Conference play, making an appearance in the conference tournament. Before Brevard, AK was an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Limestone University for three seasons, from 2011-13. The Saints, located in Gaffney, South Carolina, won the South Atlantic Conference regular season title in Kamekona’s first season in 2011.
Before coaching, Kamekona had an extensive playing career. She spent six years playing in National Pro Fastpitch, from 2012-2017. She started with the Carolina Diamonds in 2012 before spending the 2013 season with the New York/New Jersey Comets. Kamekona spent the next three seasons with the USSSA Pride, located in Florida. Later in her career, she played for the Chicago Bandits in 2016 and the Texas Charge and the Scrap Yard Dawgs (also in Texas) in 2017. AK also competed professionally on the PFX Tour from July 2010 through August 2012.
Kamekona split her collegiate playing career between Cal State Fullerton and UCLA. The Glendale, California, native spent 2005-06 with the Titans and 2008-09 in Westwood. She started 91 of her 96 appearances with the Titans, hitting .304 with 37 RBIs, 41 runs scored and 24 extra base hits. With the Bruins, Kamekona started all 116 of her appearances, hitting .327 with 86 RBIs, 87 runs and 61 extra base hits while stealing 20 bases in 23 attempts. The second baseman was selected as a Third Team All-American in 2008 before garnering First Team All-America accolades in her final season of college. She was also named to the All-Pac-10 First Team in both seasons. On February 9, 2008, she drove in eight runs against Santa Clara, setting a program record that has yet to be broken.