LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University softball team opens the 2020 season Friday through Sunday at the Tennessee State Tiger Classic. The Broncs will face the host Tigers and Central Connecticut State on Friday, Creighton and Bowling Green on Saturday and round out the weekend with a second meeting with the Tigers.

"I think this is a pivotal year for us in terms of changing the culture and I think we're starting to see that," said third-year Rider Head Coach Davon Ortega. "We're really focusing on strong leadership and kind of getting it right this time. We're focusing on, 'what's the Rider Way?' 'what are our goals?' and 'what are our core values?' and 'how do we stay focused on those goals and core values?'"

Back from last year's team is senior captain and 2019 All-MAAC Second Team selection Kelsey Marigliano, who hit a team-best .323 with 25 runs scored, seven doubles and five stolen bases. Her 53 hits were the second-most in the last 12 years of Rider Softball since Tiffany Day-Neutill had 61 in 2007. Former teammate Toni Niño (2018), along with Dana Sensi (2015) and Kehli Washington (2013) each had 54 hits in a single season. Marigliano also hit .397 with 13 runs scored in league play. For the year, she had a team-leading 12 multi-hit games, including five games with three hits. Her nine-game hitting streak from March 15-31 was also the longest on the team.

The Broncs will also be captained by a pair of pitchers in Elyse Cuttic and Debra Jones. Cuttic was a 2018 All-MAAC pick at DP. Last season, she finished second on the team with 14 RBI's, while her two home runs ranked tied for fifth. She also racked up 96.2 innings pitched and 53 strikeouts, both second-most on the team. She pitched a team-high seven complete games, including a pair of shutouts. Jones led the Rider pitching staff with four wins, 112.1 innings pitched and 67 strikeouts in 2019, made a team-high 28 appearances, including 15 starts, and went the distance six times. She picked up wins against Niagara (March 30), Princeton (Apr. 3), Saint Peter's (Apr. 10) and Iona (May 4), striking out a career-high 12 batters in a 10.0-inning win at Saint Peter's. The 12 strikeouts were the most by a Rider pitcher in a single game since Rachael Matreale struck out 13 on three occasions in 2012. Jones was perfect in three relief appearances, not allowing a baserunner in 1.2 innings against North Carolina A&T (March 9) and Sacramento State (March 16) and 2.2 innings against Niagara (March 30).

Brooklyn Trujillo-Quintana also returns for her sophomore season in the circle after posting a team-best 4.82 ERA and tying for the team lead with four wins. Senior Emily Oltman is also back for the Broncs after making 18 appearances a year ago. Cuttic, Jones, Oltman and Trujillo-Quintana will be joined on the pitching staff by freshman Jackie Cal, an All-State performer who led Regis Jesuit High School to its first-ever Colorado State Tournament last spring.

Joining Marigliano in the Broncs outfield will be sophomore Lani Moreno, who effectively started all 54 games last season. She came off the bench once, following the first pitch of the game to allow injured senior Amanda Jordan to start on Senior Day. Moreno led the team with 12 doubles, while finishing second with 14 runs scored, 40 hits, 52 total bases, a .256 batting average and a pair of stolen bases. Her 11 RBI's were third-most on the team. She finished the year on a season-long seven-game hitting streak (Apr. 29-May 4).

Newcomers to the outfield mix will be freshmen Amanda Cooper, Elena Gonzalez and Alyssa Ansara. Cooper was a perennial All-District selection for Huntsville (Texas) High School, earning Second Team in 2016, 2017 and 2019, while taking First Team honors in 2018. Gonzalez was a First-Team All-State honoree, leading Stone Bridge High School to the 5A State Championship as a senior. She could also see time at catcher and second base. Ansara was a two-time All-District and All-League selection at Anthony Wayne High School. She hit .442 as a junior, collecting 38 hits, 33 runs, 12 RBI's and 12 stolen bases. 

The catcher position returns a pair of players in Grace Stansfield and Shelby Miller, while adding depth in Gonzalez and fellow freshman Chaela Crowder. Stansfield walked a team-high 17 times, while tying for second on the team with 14 runs scored. A mainstay in the line-up, she started 49 of 51 games played between catcher, third base and DP and had six multi-hit games, including a pair of contests with three hits. Miller appeared in 32 games, including 15 starts, and had three multi-hit games. Her pinch-hit double in the bottom of the seventh helped Rider to a come-from-behind victory over Niagara (March 30). Crowder earned First Team All-Coastal Canyon League and Team Offensive Player of the Year at Simi Valley High School.

Redshirt senior Gabby Bram returns to patrol first base, where she started all 54 games and was one of only three Broncs to start every game. She finished tied for third on the team with five doubles and had four multi-hit games. Stansfield could also see time at first base. Freshman Caitlyn Danovich will also push for time at first. Danovich was a four-year All-League selection at Agoura High School who earned Honorable Mention in her first three years, before taking First Team recognition as a senior.

Rachael Zeides and Gianna Epps return to the middle infield mix and Gonzalez could see time at second base. Zeides has been a two-year starter at shortstop since transferring from Holy Family to continue her collegiate career with Ortega. She started all 54 games at shortstop last year and drove in a team-best 15 runs, while also leading the Broncs with four home runs. She hit .225 (5^th on the team), while finishing tied for second with 14 runs scored. Her 33 hits and 49 total bases were third-most on the team. Zeides had a team-high five games with multiple RBI's, while compiling eight games with multiple hits. Epps played in the team's first 39 games, including 37 starts at second base, before suffering a season-ending injury. She was fifth on the team with 12 runs scored and had three multi-hit games. She had a flair for the dramatic, driving in the game-winning run in the top of the eighth at UC Davis (March 15), while her two-run double in the bottom of the seventh against Niagara (March 30) tied the game, leading to a 6-5 walk-off win.

The third base mix consists of 2019 starter Melanie Wilkinson and freshman Brianna Koonce. Wilkinson started 18 of 23 games played before suffering a season-ending injury on March 31. She was second on the team with three home runs, while finishing tied for fourth with 10 RBI's. Wilkinson erupted for all three of her home runs, nine of her 10 RBI's and three of her four runs scored on the season in a pair of games at Central Connecticut (March 24). Koonce was a four-time All-Suburban One League selection, earning First Team honors in her last two seasons after taking Third Team as a sophomore and Honorable Mention as a freshman.

"2020 will be a success if we stay intentional," said Ortega. "We have to be intentional about what we do and I think that's the key. If we're intentional about all of the little things, we'll be successful."