BRONX, N.Y. - With the fall semester just around the corner, Head Softball Coach Melissa Inouye announced Tuesday the addition of Jake Long to her staff for the upcoming season.

Long makes his way up the coast to The Bronx from Gainesville, Fla. where he spent the past two seasons as a Graduate Assistant with the Florida Softball program. During his time in the Sunshine State, he would help the Gators to a 92-37 overall record, winning the SEC Championship in 2024 en route to a WCWS Semifinals appearance.

"We are excited to welcome Coach Jake to Fordham, our softball Ramily and coaching staff," said Coach Inouye. "His previous coaching experiences with high school, travel ball and collegiate student-athletes will be beneficial to our team, and his experience at Florida for the last two years, including at the Women's College World Series, allowed him to mentor and be mentored by some of the very best in the country and is ready for this next step in his coaching career."

In a historic 2024 campaign, Florida would tally a 54-15 overall record, including 17-7 in SEC contests. After claiming the program's sixth SEC crown, the Gators would go on an impressive run to the College World Series, taking the three time defending National Champions, Oklahoma to extra innings, but would fall to the Sooners in the WCWS Semifinals.

Long's tenure with the Gators followed a three year stint as both a high school and travel ball coach, training players from 13-18 across those two roles on the offensive and defensive sides, while also helping his athletes in their recruiting processes. Coaching a championship winning team at a Top Gun Maverick Invitational at the U-14 level, Long's high school assistant coaching role saw his team make the state championship tournament in each of his two years with the team.

"As soon as I stepped on campus and met everyone, I knew Fordham was where I wanted to be," said Long. "I want to thank Coach Inouye and Coach Swinehart for this opportunity and for welcoming me into the Ramily with open arms. I am looking forward to getting started with the team this fall."

A four-year varsity pitcher at Regis University in Colorado, Long would make the All-RMAC Honor Roll in multiple semesters, on his way to a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, with an emphasis in Management and Marketing in 2016. Long then completed his Masters of Science in Sports Management this past spring from Florida.

"Coach Jake is committed to encouraging a culture of teamwork, excellence, and personal growth as we continue to be successful and compete for Atlantic 10 championships," said Coach Inouye. "Our student-athletes will enjoy being around his easy going personality and we look forward to him working with our infield and assisting with hitters." 

Inouye and the Rams are coming off a 2024 season that saw her squad tally the third most doubles of any team in program history with 92, the sixth most of any team in the nation. Slugger Sydney Wells would pace the Atlantic 10 Conference in RBI's per game with an even 1.00 per game, while ranking second best in the league in Home Runs per game.