Friday, April 25, 2025 – 2 p.m. Doubleheader
Saturday, April 26, 2025 – 12 p.m. Single Game
Rider Broncs (18-28, 11-8 MAAC) vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (7-27, 4-13 MEAC)
Location: Lawrenceville, NJ – Herb and Joan Young Field
Live Video – BroncVision | Friday | Saturday
Live Stats – GoBroncs.com
Twitter – Twitter.com/SoftballRider

What You Need To Know
- The Rider Softball team returns to The Island Friday and Saturday, when it plays host to Niagara in the final league and home series of the season.
- Prior to Saturday's first pitch, the Broncs will honor their six-member Senior Class of Kristyn Gardner, Anna-Marie Groskritz, Olivia Burroughs, Asiah Bell, Kathryn Schmierer and team manager Emma Rambo during Senior Day ceremonies.
- The Broncs are winners of 10 of their last 12, with the lone losses coming in splits with Marist (13-2-1 MAAC) and Morgan State. The Broncs began the streak with a win in the final game of a three-game series at Canisius (Apr. 5), swept doubleheaders with Mount St. Mary's (Apr. 9) and Merrimack (Apr. 13), split with Marist (Apr. 15) and swept a three-game set at Saint Peter's (Apr. 18-19). Most recently, the Broncs split with Morgan State on Apr. 23.
- Kathryn Schmierer was a tough-luck loser in Game 2 vs. Morgan State, tossing the Broncs' first seven-inning no hitter in at least 25 years, but allowing an unearned run on a hit-by-pitch and an error in a 1-0 loss.
- Kendall Reda-Fehsal has been a big reason for the Broncs' success in the streak, hitting .714 (20-for-28) with six doubles, a triple, four home runs, 24 RBI's and eight runs scored over a nine-game stretch from Apr. 9-19. She was named MAAC Player of the Week consecutively on April 15 and 22. Included in the production were game-winning hits vs. Marist (two-run single) and at Saint Peter's (two-run home run in Top 7).
- Reda-Fehsal had a nine-game hitting streak snapped in Game 1 vs. Morgan State, while Kristyn Gardner had a streak of 12-straight games reaching safely snapped in Game 2.
- Anna-Marie Groskritz also claimed MAAC Pitcher of the Week on April 15 after going 2-0 with a save in her three appearances the week prior, allowing just one earned run for a 0.47 ERA. She struck out 23 batters in 15.0 innings pitched, including a career-high 11 in a one-hitter in Game 1 against Merrimack after tying her then career high with 10 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout at Mount St. Mary's.  
- Kristyn Gardner leads the Broncs' offense with a .324 average, while also contributing five home runs, 20 RBI's and 16 runs scored. Abby Cruz has also hit .320 with four home runs, 22 RBI's and 16 runs scored. Reda-Fehsal has gone off in league play, where she's hit .393 with four of her five home runs and 30 of her 37 RBI's on the year. Fallyn Stoeckel has also hit .294 with eight doubles, 11 RBI's and a team-high 19 runs scored.
- In the circle, Anna-Marie Groskritz has accounted for nine of the Broncs' 18 victories and has added a save, posting a 2.72 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 105.1 innings pitched. Stoeckel (4-4, 3.62 ERA, 38.2 IP) and Kathryn Schmierer (5-13, 3.92 ERA, 119.2 IP) have also given the Broncs significant innings.

- Hailey Cenname leads Niagara offensively at .373 with 14 extra-base hits, 15 RBI's and 24 runs scored. Selah Moyer has added a .329 average with five home runs and 15 RBI's, while Brianna Delaney has chipped in with a .320 average and a team-high 23 RBI's. Natasha Limbani has also hit .311 with a team-best 25 runs scored to go along with 15 RBI's.
- Pitching has been the Purple Eagles' glaring weakness, with the staff posting a collective 10.27 ERA on the year. Aubrey Tamayo (2-9, 8.59 ERA) and Sage Jackson (4-10, 9.19 ERA) have seen the bulk of the work for Niagara in the circle.
- In the sweep at Mount St. Mary's, the Broncs took a 5-0 win in Game 1 on the strength of a complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts from Anna-Marie Groskritz. Rider immediately erupted for 13 runs in the top of the first of Game 2 en route to an 18-4 victory for the sweep. The 13 runs were the Broncs' most in a single inning since March 13, 2022 (vs. Morehead State) and the 18 runs for the game were Rider's most since an 18-4 win over Cleveland State on March 10, 2023.
- Four Broncs had at least four hits in the sweep at Mount St. Mary's, led by Kristyn Gardner with a 5-for-8 performance with four doubles, four runs scored and two RBI's. Kendall Reda-Fehsal and Olivia Burroughs had four hits apiece, with five and four RBI's, respectively. Abby Cruz also contributed four hits and four runs scored. Kiersten Buchanan chipped in with three hits, including a grand slam to drove in a team-high six runs.   
- Rider then took a pair of one-run games from Merrimack on April 13. Groskritz established a new career high with 11 strikeouts, allowing just one run on one hit, one walk and one hit-by-pitch over 7.0 innings pitched. She also earned the save in Game 2 and finishes with 13 strikeouts over 8.0 innings on the day. Offensively, Kendall Reda-Fehsal led the way with three hits and three RBI's. 
- Gardner erupted for four hits, including two home runs and five RBI's in a doubleheader at Army West Point (Mar. 26).
- Rider earned a season-opening win over UMass (Feb. 21), before earning tournament victories at Kennesaw State (Feb. 28) and Georgia Southern (Mar. 9). The Broncs also split a doubleheader at Central Connecticut (Mar. 4) and swept a twinbill at Penn (Mar. 11). Most recently, they won 2-of-3 in their MAAC and home-opening series vs. Sacred Heart (Mar. 22-23).
- The Broncs were picked to finish third in the MAAC Preseason Poll, matching their 2024 finish in the league. Only once in at least the last 24 years has Rider been picked higher, when the Broncs were the preseason MAAC favorite in 2004. Rider was also picked third in 2005. Rider hadn't been picked higher than seventh since being tabbed fourth in 2007.  
- 2024 NFCA All-Northeast Region and All-MAAC Second Team honoree Fallyn Stoeckel returns after serving as a strong two-way player last season, ranking among the top 10 in the MAAC in batting average at .346, including a .490 clip in league games. She also made 24 appearances in the circle, including 12 starts, posting a 3.74 ERA.
- A pair of MAAC All-Rookie Team honorees also return in Kiersten Buchanan and Kendall Reda-Fehsal. Buchanan started 46 of 47 games played as the team's primary shortstop, hitting .315, finishing second on the team with 40 hits, including a team-high 10 doubles and two triples. She also added 15 runs scored and 16 RBI's. Reda-Fehsal hit .284 with five home runs to go along with a team-high 10 doubles and 28 RBI's. She also scored 17 runs and posted a .475 slugging percentage and .370 on-base percentage.
- Kristyn Gardner was also a constant for the Rider offense last season, making 36 starts in 45 games played between catcher and DP. She hit .324, good for third on the team, with three home runs, a team-high 10 doubles, 22 RBI's and 12 runs scored.
- Graduate student Anna-Marie Groskritz and senior Kathryn Schmierer lead an experience Rider pitching staff, along with Stoeckel and freshman Gabi Rodriguez. Groskritz led the Broncs in appearances (25), starts (18), wins (8), complete games (6), saves (3), innings pitched (101.2) and strikeouts (75), while finishing second in ERA (3.10). Schmierer posted a 6-5 record with a 3.43 ERA in 16 appearances, including eight starts in the circle.
- In addition to Rodriguez, Rider also welcomes eight additional newcomers in junior college transfer catcher/first baseman Vaye Savage (Midland, TX/Greenwood [Salem C.C.]), sophomore infielder Ceara O'Neal (Hamilton Square, NJ/Steinert) and freshmen outfielder Cami Johnson (Richland, NJ/Buena Regional), utility Shea Johnson (Carlsbad, CA/Cathedral Catholic), infield/utility Noelle Flail (Woolwich, NJ/Kingway Regional), second baseman/outfielder Emma Morgan (Mechanicsburg, PA/Cumberland Valley), utility Keegan St. Cyr (Hopkinton, NH/Hopkinton) and infielder Aspen Wheeler (Lampasas, TX/Lampasas). Redshirt freshman infielder Kayley York (Telford, PA/Souderton Area) will also see her first action as a Bronc after suffering a season-ending injury in Fall 2023.
- The Broncs are led by eighth-year Head Coach Davon Ortega. Rider's 28 wins in 2022 were the most in Ortega's tenure at Rider by a five-win margin (23, 2024). Following a 15-year absence, the Broncs made back-to-back MAAC Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022 and returned in 2024.