Rider Broncs softball

The Rider Broncs softball team represents Rider University in NCAA Division I college softball. The team currently participates in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), having joined in 1998. From 1978 until 1992, the team was a member of the now-defunct East Coast Conference (ECC).[2] From 1992 until 1997, the team was a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC).[3] The Broncs are currently led by head coach Davon Ortega. The team plays its home games at Herb & Joan Young Field, which is located on the college's campus.[4]

Rider Broncs
UniversityRider University
Head coachDavon Ortega (7th season)
ConferenceMAAC
LocationLawrenceville, NJ
Home stadiumHerb & Joan Young Field
NicknameBroncs
ColorsCranberry, white, and gray[1]
     
NCAA Tournament appearances
1997, 2003
Conference Tournament championships
NEC: 1995, 1997
MAAC: 2003
Regular Season Conference championships
1992[2]

History

Rider has the unique achievement of having won conference titles in three different conferences. The first conference title came in the 1991 East Coast Conference season, winning the conference with a 10–2 record in conference play.[5] The second and third conference titles came in the Northeast Conference, winning in the 1995 and 1997 seasons.[6] The Broncs fourth and latest conference title came in their current conference, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, winning in 2003.[7] Since the expansion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament in 1994,[8] Rider has qualified for the tournament twice, doing so in 1997 and 2003. Despite winning the NEC in 1995, the Broncs were not automatically qualified for the NCAA tournament because the conference did not receive an automatic bid until 1996.[9]

In the 1997 tournament, Rider faced off against Arizona in their first appearance of the tournament, losing 11–2 via mercy rule in six innings.[10] The Broncs were eliminated from the tournament after losing to Arizona State by a score 12–0, losing again via the mercy rule in six innings.[11]

Rider qualified for the 2003 NCAA Division I softball tournament after defeating Saint Peter's 2–1 in the MAAC tournament championship game. Pitcher Heather Beintema was named MVP of the tournament.[12] The Broncs faced off against Cal State Fullerton in the opening game, losing by a score of 3–0.[13] The team was eliminated from the tournament after losing a 2–1 contest to San Diego State.[14]

In 2015, former head coach Patricia Carroll filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming she was fired for raising awareness to Title IX violations.[15] The lawsuit claims that men's programs at the university receive larger shares of scholarship and booster money, as well as having larger coaching staffs than women's teams.[16] In a period from 2011 until 2014, Carroll complained about the alleged violations to the school's Associate Vice President for Human Resources and Affirmative Action Robert Stoto. An outside consultant was hired by the university in 2013 and found the school to be in violation of Title IX, although Carroll's complaints continued into 2014.[17] As a result, the lawsuit claims Carroll was informed in 2014 that her contract would not be renewed following the 2015 season.[18]

Coaching history
Years Coach Record %
1978–1980[2]Carol Knapp22–24.478
1981–1987[2]Laura Darling119–97.551
1988–1994[2]Leslie Craig Hagan208–102.671
1994–2015[2]Patricia Carroll401–631–3.389
2016–2017[19]Jaclyn Timko-Gabelt14–86.140
2017–presentDavon Ortega92–165–1.359

Roster
2024 Rider Broncs roster
 

Pitchers

  • 13 – Anna-Marie Groskritz – Senior
  • 8 – Jadeyn Merrill – Sophomore
  • 1 – Jessie Niegocki – Senior
  • 33 – Kathryn Schmierer – Junior
  • 24 – Fallyn Stoeckel – Sophomore

Catchers

  • 23 – Katie Brunner – Sophomore
  • 6 – Kristyn Gardner – Junior

Outfielders

  • 19 – Amanda Cooper – Graduate Student
  • 26 – Maddie Luedtke – Sophomore
  • 11 – Laneya Wright – Senior
  

Infielders

  • 16 – Olivia Burroughs – Junior

Utility

  • 27 – Julia Harsche – Sophomore
  • 40 – Chelsea Weatherford – Junior
  
Reference:[20]

Season by season results
Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Rider Broncs (East Coast Conference) (1978–1992)
1978 Carol Knapp 5–10
1979 Carol Knapp 6–10
1980 Carol Knapp 11–4
1981 Laura Darling 13–6
1982 Laura Darling 12–8
1983 Laura Darling 11–17
1984 Laura Darling 19–21
1985 Laura Darling 20–14
1986 Laura Darling 20–15
1987 Laura Darling 24–16
1988 Leslie Craig Hagan 29–14
1989 Leslie Craig Hagan 33–13
1990 Leslie Craig Hagan 30–16
1991 Leslie Craig Hagan 21–1210–21st
1992 Leslie Craig Hagan 34–12
Rider Broncs (Northeast Conference) (1992–1997)
1993 Leslie Craig Hagan 26–17N/AN/A
1994 Leslie Craig Hagan 35–18N/AN/A
1995 Patricia Carroll 34–12–1N/A1st
1996 Patricia Carroll 24–22N/AN/A
1997 Patricia Carroll 24–31N/A1stNCAA Regionals
Rider Broncs (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) (1997–present)
1998 Patricia Carroll 22–247–9N/A
1999 Patricia Carroll 19–335–118th
2000 Patricia Carroll 26–167–9T–6th
2001 Patricia Carroll 25–317–9T–5th
2002 Patricia Carroll 18–357–95th
2003 Patricia Carroll 24–2511–5T–2ndNCAA Regionals
2004 Patricia Carroll 35–2211–52nd
2005 Patricia Carroll 16–326–107th
2006 Patricia Carroll 24–2810–63rd
2007 Patricia Carroll 11–363–11T–8th
2008 Patricia Carroll 12–344–129th
2009 Patricia Carroll 16–328–86th
2010 Patricia Carroll 16–31–18–8T–5th
2011 Patricia Carroll 9–372–148th
2012 Patricia Carroll 20–33–17–9T–6th
2013 Patricia Carroll 8–413–138th
2014 Patricia Carroll 6–413–7T–10th
2015 Patricia Carroll 12–356–149th
2016 Jaclyn Timko-Gabelt 8–425–1510th
2017 Jaclyn Timko-Gabelt 6–441–1911th
2018 Davon Ortega 17–338–129th
2019 Davon Ortega 10–446–1410th
2020 Davon Ortega 1–100–0N/A

Season cut short due to COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 Davon Ortega 17–2016–187th
2022 Davon Ortega 28–25–111–94th
2023 Davon Ortega 19–319–11T–7th
Total:856–1,075–4 (.443)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

[7]

See also

References
  1. Rider University Graphic Standards Manual and Editorial Style Guide (PDF). Retrieved April 16, 2016.
  2. "Season-By-Season Records". Rider University Athletics.
  3. "Northeast Conference - NCAA History". sites.google.com.
  4. "Facilities". Rider University Athletics.
  5. "Rider dedicates bullpen to softball Hall of Famer". Rider University. April 4, 2022.
  6. "NEC Softball History". northeastconference.org.
  7. "Softball Standings 1986-2022". maacsports.com.
  8. "WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES" (PDF). fs.ncaa.org.
  9. "1996 RS (PDF)" (PDF). Marist College Athletics.
  10. "1997 Softball Schedule". University of Arizona Athletics.
  11. Archivist, Times Leader (May 28, 1997). "Rider University Freshman Heather Sonnenberg Has Completed Her Rookie Season On The Broncs Softball Team". Times Leader.
  12. "Rider Claims MAAC Softball Crown - MAACSports.com - The Official Website of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference". maacsports.com.
  13. "May 15, 2003 - Cal State Fullerton 3 Rider 0 - NCAA's". Rider University Athletics.
  14. "Softball Defeats Rider University, 2-1". SDSU Athletics.
  15. "New Jersey Softball Coach Sues University Over Her Dismissal". June 30, 2015.
  16. "Rider softball coach sues university over her dismissal". The Washington Times.
  17. NJ.com, Cristina Rojas | For (July 1, 2015). "Fired Rider University softball coach sues school over Title IX violations". nj.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. "Softball coach sues Rider University over her dismissal". Press of Atlantic City. Associated Press.
  19. "Timko Hired as Head Coach". Rider University Athletics.
  20. "2024 Softball Roster". Rider University Athletics.
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