Softball Kicks Off 2019 Campaign at Ragin' Cajuns Classic

Watch | Live Stats
Tournament Central | Schedule (PDF)
Season Preview 

Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team begins its quest for a seventh consecutive Atlantic 10 championship with its 2019 campaign opener at #15/18 Louisiana on Thursday night, the opening game of the Ragin' Cajuns Classic. The Rams will take on the hosts at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, will play Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Incarnate Word on Friday at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively, then wrap up the weekend with a 10 a.m. game against Incarnate Word followed immediately by RV/RV California.
 
Both the 'Watch' and 'Live Stats' links above are for the opening game of the weekend, while the rest can be found on the Tournament Central page.
 
2018 Season Review
The Fordham softball program earned its sixth consecutive Atlantic 10 title and seventh in the last eight seasons by winning all three contests over three days at Bahoshy Field, including two against regular season champion Massachusetts, who went undefeated in conference play. The Rams went to an eighth NCAA Regional where they fell to nationally-ranked LSU and Louisiana. Fordham was led by graduating players Madi Shaw, a perennial All-Conference and All-Region selection, and Lauren Quense, the 2017 A-10 Co-Pitcher of the Year. The Rams went 33-23 overall on the year and matched its best-ever record in league play, with an 18-4 record, good for the second seed in the A-10 championship. Paige Rauch, who has since followed former head coach Bridget Orchard to Villanova, was named Rookie of the Year.
 
Joining her on the First Team All-Conference was Chelsea Skrepenak, while Madie Aughinbaugh was named to the Second Team after posting stellar numbers in league play: a 9-1 record with eight complete games, five shutouts, and an 0.98 era across 64.0 innings. Skrepenak paced the Rams offense with a .331/.395/.548 slash line with career-highs across the board of 52 hits, 41 runs, 33 RBI, 13 stolen bases, and eight home runs, while playing her typically stellar defense in centerfield.
 
Fordham Announces Melissa Inouye as Head Coach
Former head coach Orchard left the Bronx to return to her alma mater after 17 seasons in charge of the team. Orchard completely turned around the program, posting 30-win seasons in all but her first season in charge, earning seven Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors and two All-Region staff awards. Replacing her this summer is former assistant coach Melissa Inouye, who spent the past six seasons at nearby Iona College, taking the Gaels to one NCAA Tournament and one NISC Tournament, the latter after a MAAC regular season championship. Inouye, a two-time MAAC Coach of the Year, brings along her assistant Matt Klampert to the same position and added former Dartmouth standout and Saint Francis graduate assistant coach Katie McEachern to her staff.
 
2019 Season Preview
The Rams lost a combined 43 home runs and 187.0 innings in the offseason but return a group that holds plenty of experience. Five upperclassmen starters return to the fold plus several other key reserves like sophomore Brianna Pinto, who hit a team-high .406 with nine stolen bases in conference play a year ago. Joining Skrepenak in the outfield are seniors Deanna Burbridge, who hit .302 and scored 17 runs, and Maria Trivelpiece, who hit .282 across 46 games and 34 starts. Skrepenak and Trivelpiece, along with junior Madie Aughinbaugh, were named team captains in preseason. Senior Kylie Michael returns behind the plate after hitting .260 with 15 RBI and 14 runs scored, while senior Jordy Storm figures to see more playing time than her 39 games a year ago after slashing .276/.394/.368. Look for a talented underclassmen group to support the upperclassmen in the season to come.
 

Series Histories
Louisiana – Last year's meeting in the Baton Rouge NCAA Regional was the first-ever game between the two schools. The Ragin' Cajuns won in five innings, 15-3.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi – The two schools have never met before.
Incarnate Word – The two schools have never met before.
California – The Bears hold an all-time 5-0 lead over the Rams since 2001, with all games coming on neutral fields. Three of the previous contests saw California ranked, including when they held the top spot in 2012. Most recently, Cal won, 6-0, in 2015.
 
2019 Schedule
After the Ragin' Cajuns Classic, the Rams head to Coach Inouye's alma mater, UNLV, for the Rebel Classic, then head to Orlando and Disney's Wide World of Sports complex for the annual Diamond 9 Citrus Classic to round out February. Fordham will then participate in the I-75 Challenge, with doubleheaders at Georgia Tech and Georgia State, plus a one-off at Kennesaw State. Fordham will return home for its first contest of the year at Bahoshy against Lafayette on March 6^th at 3 p.m. before heading back south for the Mercer Classic in Macon, Ga. Following that final preseason tournament, the Rams will play at Stony Brook on March 19^th before conference play begins in earnest at George Washington on March 23^rd. See the entire schedule here.
 
Program Ranks
Madi Shaw and Lauren Quense leave the program within the top-five of numerous all-time categories as two of the best hitters and pitchers in school history, respectively. As the 2019 season begins, one current player figures to continue her climb up several lists in the record book – junior Madie Aughinbaugh. The Port Tobacco, Md. native currently sits eight all-time with 34 wins, 10^th with 186 strikeouts, joint-fifth with 11 shutouts, and seventh with a career 2.52 ERA. Check out the softball record book HERE.
 
Fordham Picked to Finish Second in Preseason Coaches' Poll
For the first time in seven years, the Rams have not been predicted by the league's coaches to finish atop the A-10 standings. Instead, Fordham has been picked to finish in a tie with Dayton for second. Read more about the annul preseason poll here.
 
Like a year ago, Fordham received nine of 10 possible first-place votes and 99 points from the league's head coaches and have thus been picked to successfully defend its Atlantic 10 championship for a sixth consecutive year. You can read more about that, here. The Rams have won five straight tournament titles and six of the last seven, plus five regular season titles, as well, in the past eight years.
 
Fordham Softball Archived Stories
Read up on Fordham's offseason turnover, season previews, game previews and recaps. Read all of the team's archived stories from this season and beyond, here.
 
Fordham Quick Facts
You can find this season's full schedule, roster, and quick facts, plus last year's season statistics, all here.
 
Up Next
Fordham next plays at the Boyd Gaming Rebel Classic, hosted by UNLV, starting next Thursday, February 14^th. The Rams will play BYU, UNLV, Seattle, Hawaii, and Utah Valley over three days.
 
Continue to keep up to date with the program on social media: @FordhamSoftball on Twitter and Instagram, and here at FordhamSports.com!