BRONX, N.Y. – As the fall semester gets underway and the team prepares to return to action, Fordham University Softball Head Coach Melissa Inouye announced this afternoon the addition of Mackenzie Swinehart to her staff as an assistant coach.

"We are thrilled to welcome Coach Kenzie to Fordham, our softball program and coaching staff," said Coach Inouye. "Her success as a student-athlete, experience, knowledge and confidence will be very transferable to our team. Coach Kenzie has a passion for the game and holistic student-athlete development and our student-athletes will enjoy being around her positive and energetic personality. While coaching at Notre Dame for the last two years, she was mentored by some of the very best in the Midwest and is prepared for this next step in her coaching career. We look forward to her working with our outfielders and assisting with hitters as we feel she is a great fit for our Ramily as we continue to compete for Atlantic 10 championships."

Amongst her many responsibilities, Swinehart was tasked with scouting and filming for the Irish, practice and gameday setup, and live hitting and pitching in practice, and comes to Rose Hill with a plethora of knowledge in top scouting programs including Synergy and BATS. In addition, she assisted with hitting and outfield drills, game charting, and oversaw the student-athlete mental health wellness committee for the softball prgram. 

In her two years in South Bend, the Fighting Irish amassed an overall record of 70-31-1, including 10 victories over Top-10 opponents. Notre Dame would make an appearance in the NCAA Regionals in each of those seasons, winning a game in each tournament. During her tenure, Swinehart helped coach her players to 18 NFCA All-Region selections, 18 ACC All-Academic nods, and 18 All-ACC Honors.

Her time with Notre Dame also saw numerous standout athletics come through the program, including Karina Gaskins, the 2022 ACC Player of the Year, and Carlli Kloss, who was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year last spring, in addition to being named a JWOS First Team All American and NFCA Second Team All American.

"I am very thankful to Coach Inouye for giving me an opportunity to join her staff to help lead this group of strong women," said Swinehart. "To be a part of the success Fordham has and to carry that into this upcoming season is something to look forward to. I'm excited to started working with our team on the field and help grow their game in all aspects."

Prior to coaching with the Fighting Irish, Swinehart was a four-year softball player at Western Michigan University where she set all-time career marks for the program in hits (243) and runs scored (673) and is second all-time with a career .361 batting average. In her time with the Broncos, she was a two-time All-MAC honoree, earning first-team selection in her senior season as well as a second-team nod in 2017, her rookie campaign where she was also named to the MAC All-Freshman team.