Davon Ortega was named the Broncs’ sixth head coach in program history in June of 2017.
In 2024, Ortega’s team continued to succeed when the Broncs earned the program’s highest seed in the MAAC Championship Tournament (3rd) since 2006. The third seed was also the second-highest ranking in the program’s 27-year history in the league. For the sixth time in seven years under Ortega, Rider exceeded preseason expectations. Picked to finish seventh in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Ortega led the Broncs to a third-place finish. Rider’s 23 wins were the second-most in Ortega’s tenure, eclipsed only by her 2022 squad’s 28 wins. Following a 15-year absence from the MAAC Championship Tournament and the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID, Ortega’s teams have qualified for the tournament in three of the last four years.
Ortega’s pitching staff was statistically atop the MAAC conference. As a staff, the pitchers earned the lowest earned run average (ERA), hits allowed, earned runs allowed and the least number of homeruns allowed. Jessie Niegocki, Anna-Marie Groskritz, and Kathryn Schmierer all finished the season in the top 10 in ERA in the MAAC conference. Niegocki held MAAC opponents to a miniscule 0.83 ERA and was first in the conference in opposing batting average, hits and runs allowed. Anna-Marie Groskritz also finished the season in the top 10 in strikeouts.
The 2024 offense continued to work, earning the second-highest team batting average and total hits in the conference. Fallyn Stockel and Jessie Niegocki were among the top ten in MAAC-conference statistics in batting average. In overall season statistics, the Rider offense produced the most doubles of any team in Ortega’s seven-year tenure.
Ortega’s 2024 season was the fourth straight season with multiple All-MAAC honorees since 2004. Sophomore, Fallyn Stockel and senior Jessie Niegocki were both named to the All-MAAC 2nd Team while freshmen, Kiersten Buchanan and Kendall Reda-Fehsal were selected to the MAAC All-Rookie team. Stoeckel was also named to the NFCA All-Northeast Region Second Team, which gave the program its fourth straight season with and All-Region selection after not have one since 2004.
Academic excellence continued to be a priority for Ortega’s squad, which culminated with the team posting a Top 50 GPA in NCAA Division I in the 2023-2024 academic year and 12 Broncs earned Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. Eight players also earned MAAC All-Academic team honors. Ortega’s program also earned a record-high, five players named as CSC Softball Academic All-District Team honorees for earning a 3.5 GPA or higher as well as being key starters or contributors for their team. The academic success for the softball program helped Rider Athletics to post a 95% Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and the program was one of 10 at Rider with a perfect GSR of 100.
During the 2023 season, marred by injury and the loss of three of the team’s top five hitters to graduation in 2022, the Broncs fell just short of another MAAC Championship Tournament berth. In MAAC conference play only, the Rider offense held the second-highest team batting average while both Jessie Niegocki and Brianna Koonce remained in the top ten in conference in several statistical categories. Sophomore Olivia Burroughs led the MAAC conference in doubles and finished 4th in the nation in Division I with doubles and 2nd in the nation in doubles per game.
In the third straight year with multiple All-MAAC honorees, junior Jessie Niegocki earned First Team honors for the second-straight year and senior Brianna Koonce and freshman Jadeyn Merrill earned Second Team honors. Merrill was also named to the MAAC’s All-Rookie Team. Niegocki also earned her second-straight NFCA All-Northeast Region First Team honor – this marked three-straight seasons with an All-Region honoree after not having and honoree since 2004.
In the classroom, 12 of Ortega’s 2023 Broncs earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors while five players earned CSC Academic All-District honors.
Ortega’s 2022 season was a program-building campaign that culminated with the Broncs earning their first ever berth into a six-team MAAC Championship. Rider returned to the tournament for only the fifth time, including its second-straight berth after earning a spot in 2021, which was the first time since 2006. The team’s 28 wins were the most in the program since 2004 and eclipsed the most in Ortega’s five-year tenure at Rider by an 11-win margin. The Broncs finished above .500 in league play for the first time since 2006 and just the fourth time in the program’s 26 years in the MAAC conference. The 2022 season was also the first time in Ortega’s tenure that her squad led the MAAC conference in both team batting average and pitching staff ERA.
The 2022 squad boasted one of Rider’s strongest offensive outputs, finishing the season with the highest team batting average, the most team hits, and the lowest number of strikeouts in the MAAC conference. The Broncs’ 444 hits were the most in Ortega’s tenure and in the top 50 in the nation. The Broncs offense earned its highest ranking for team batting average, finishing the season 45th nationally in Division I. As a team, the Broncs were 149th in scoring and 123rd in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Sophomore Jessie Niegocki’s 66 hits were the most by a Bronc since 2006, which guided her to a season-ending rank of 68th in Division I in hits.
Under Ortega’s tutelage, the Broncs pitching staff owned the lowest staff ERA in the MAAC, holding all opponents to only a .236 batting average. The staff’s collective ERA ranked them 37th nationally in Division I and was the first time in Ortega’s tenure as the pitching coach, with a staff ERA below 3.00. The pitching staff also boasted the least amount of hits, runs, and earned runs allowed as well as the most complete games and strikeouts since Ortega took over the Rider program. The pitching staff was led by sophomore, Jessie Niegocki, who pitched the first Rider no-hitter in nearly 10 years. Niegocki also ranked 41st in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings pitched, averaging 8.9 strikeouts per game. She was also ranked 87th in the nation in hits allowed per seven innings pitched.
After not having two All-MAAC First Team honorees since 2004, the 2022 season was the second-straight year that the Broncs had two players named to the First Team. Senior Grace Stansfield and sophomore Jessie Niegocki earned First Team honors at the infield and utility positions respectively. Niegocki also earned NFCA All-Northeast Region First Team and All-ECAC honors for her work in the circle, at the plate and in the middle infield.
Ortega’s squad continued to achieve in the classroom, once again earning a team grade point average above a 3.3. Senior Lani Moreno earned CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team – the first Bronc softball player to earn the honor in more than 20 years. Eleven Broncs earned MAAC Softball All-Academic Team honors while 17 players were named to the 2021-2022 MAAC Academic Honor Roll. The team’s 3.44 GPA earned them a spot on the 2021-22 Easton/NFCA Team GPA list for Division I softball teams while 13 players earned individual recognition for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher.
In 2021, following an abbreviated 2020 season due to COVID-19, Ortega led the Broncs to their first MAAC Tournament berth since 2006 and just the fourth for the program in 24 years in the league. The Broncs’ 17 wins tied for the most for the program since 2012 and their .459 winning percentage was the best in the program since 2006.
The 2021 Broncs offense finished second in the conference in team batting average with five players finishing the season with individual averages over .300, including Lani Moreno who hit .415. As a team, Rider only struck out 135 times and had the most hits in the MAAC conference (301). Elena Gonzalez and Lani Moreno were both named to the All-MAAC First Team, marking the first time since 2004 that Rider Softball has had multiple All-League First-Team honorees. Gonzalez was also named to the NFCA All-Northeast Region First Team, another first for the program since 2004. Anna-Marie Groskritz also earned a spot on the All-MAAC Teams, taking All-Rookie Team honors. The Broncs’ pitching staff earned their lowest staff ERA in Ortega’s tenure at Rider while allowing their least number of walks, doubles and homeruns.
The 2019 Broncs continued to make program-building progress, posting double-digit victories for the second year in a row. Kelsey Marigliano gave Rider a second-straight All-MAAC Selection, being named to the Second Team after leading the team with a .323 batting average, .390 on-base percentage, 53 hits, 60 total bases, 25 runs scored, five stolen bases and 17 walks. Her 53 hits were the second-most in the last 12 years or Rider Softball since Tiffany Day-Neutill had 61 in 2007. Nine players earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors.
In Ortega’s first season in Lawrenceville, the Broncs enjoyed an 11-win improvement, including a seven-win jump in conference play. Rider’s 17 wins were the most since 2012 and eight conference wins were the most since 2010. Under Ortega, the Broncs offense was explosive, tripling the team’s runs scored and RBIs from the 2017 season. The team improved in all offensive categories, including team batting average, which was the second highest in the MAAC and 115th nationally in Division I. The Rider offense boasted 118 more hits and 177 more bases touched than the 2017 season. The Broncs finished the season ranked 79th in the nation in scoring and 34th in triples per game.
As the program’s primary pitching coach, Ortega’s staff saw a 1.89 improvement in its ERA. Sophomores Elyse Cuttic and Emily Oltman both decreased their individual ERAs, including Cuttic’s drastic 4.62 decrease. As a staff, the pitchers halved the number of extra base hits allowed and gave up 80 less hits than the previous season.
Three Broncs earned All-MAAC honors in 2018, including All-MAAC First Team selection, Toni Nino, who capped off her senior campaign by becoming the program’s all-time leader in runs scored in a single season. Nino’s single-season record eclipsed the prior record that was set in 2001. Sophomore Elyse Cuttic earned All-MAAC Second Team honors while Payton Romines became Rider’s first ever MAAC All-Rookie Team selection. This was the first time Rider has had an All-MAAC honoree on both the First and Second Teams since 2013.
In the classroom Ortega’s Broncs earned a 3.29 team GPA while 18 or 19 players earned a 3.0 GPA or higher. Fourteen players earned MAAC Academic Honor Roll honors and five players were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team.
Ortega came to Lawrenceville following a successful seven-year stint at Holy Family University where she raised the standard of excellence for the Tigers, posting a 162-147 record. She transformed the program from one that was only locally known into a nationally recognized program, drawing student-athletes from all over the country. Ortega’s teams reached the postseason in each of her last six seasons including the program’s first appearance in the CACC Tournament Championship game since 2004, in 2016. In her final season at the helm for Holy Family, the team completed the season with a 28-20 overall record, finishing the regular season in second place – the highest regular-season finish in the program’s history. The offense set the record for the highest team batting average, runs scored, hits, doubles, and RBIs in program history and for the second year in a row, finished the season ranked 10th in the East Region.
The 2016 season was a record-breaking season that saw Ortega’s Tigers earn the most regular season victories and the first 30-game win season in the program’s NCAA-era. The 19-7 CACC regular season record was the best in the program’s history and led to only the second appearance in the CACC Tournament Championship game. Ortega’s team entered the post-season ranked 10th in the East Region while riding a 15-game win streak en route to the CACC Championship game. The 2016 squad also had the highest offensive output in program history – recording the most runs scored, hits, doubles, triples and total bases touched. The team also swiped the highest percentage of stolen bases since the previous record-setting season in 2014. Two of Ortega’s pitchers set individual career highs in wins and combined for 28 of the team’s 30 wins in the circle. Additionally, the pitching staff surrendered the least number of walks and earned the second lowest staff ERA of Ortega’s tenure.
In her seven years at Holy Family, Ortega coached one All-American, five NFCA All-Region selections, three Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (CCA) All-East Region selections, and nine All-League picks. Her teams also excelled in the classroom, earning NFCA Scholar Athlete individual and team recognition five years in a row, 16 players earning league all-academic honors, 14 earning Division II ADA Academic Achievement honors, three CoSIDA Academic All-District and one Academic All-America distinction.
Prior to Holy Family, Ortega was the head coach for Penn State-Abington College where she was instrumental in the program’s transition from an intramural-level team to NCAA Division III membership. In the team’s first year of NCAA provisional status, the team had two players earn All-North East Athletic Conference honors and in 2009, the team earned the Team Academic Award for posting the highest GPA. Ortega also spent two years as an assistant coach at Drexel University from 2002-2004.
Ortega was a four-year starter in the Lehigh University middle infield from 1999-2002. During the 2001 season, Ortega helped lead Lehigh to its first-ever NCAA Division I Regional tournament appearance where the Mountainhawks faced the reigning national champion Oklahoma Sooners. During the regional tournament, Lehigh also picked up their first win in NCAA regional play.
Ortega graduated from Lehigh in 2002 with her B.A. in Philosophy. She earned her M.S. in Communications from Drexel University in 2006.
Ortega by the Numbers
Year School Record CACC Postseason
2011 Holy Family 13-29 10-16 N/A
2012 Holy Family 21-26 13-13 CACC/1-2
2013 Holy Family 24-24 17-9 CACC/0-2
2014 Holy Family 27-16 17-9 CACC/1-2
2015 Holy Family 19-15 15-11 CACC/1-2
2016 Holy Family 30-17 19-7 CACC/3-2 (CACC Finalist)
2017 Holy Family 28-20 19-7 CACC/2-2
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Total (7 years): 162-147 110-72 CACC/8-12
Year School Record MAAC Postseason
2018 Rider 17-33 8-12 N/A
2019 Rider 10-44 6-14 N/A
2020 Rider 1-12 N/A N/A
2021 Rider 17-20 17-20 1-2
2022 Rider 28-25-1 11-9 0-2
2023 Rider 19-31 9-11 N/A
2024 Rider 23-28 15-8 0-2
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Total (7 years): 115-193-1 66-74 1-6
Career (14 years): 277-340-1 176-146 9-18
All-Americans – 1
All-Region – 11
All-League – 35
Academic All-Americans – 1
Academic All-District – 14
Academic All-League – 104
