FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Le Moyne Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Matt Bassett announced on Tuesday morning the hiring of Riley Johnson as head softball coach. Johnson replaces Jason Marino, who resigned last month to pursue other career opportunities.
"Coach Johnson brings successful Division II experience to her new role as our next head coach and that is always among the highest priorities for all of our coaching searches," said Bassett. "As importantly, Riley was able to articulate a vision for the entire student-athlete experience that aligned perfectly with our Inside the L department culture, and further distinguished her candidacy by emphasizing the importance of her role as a mentor to the students under her care. It is the perfect time, and we are the perfect environment, for Coach Johnson to begin her head coaching career!"
"I am grateful and excited for the chance to join the Le Moyne community," said Johnson. "I would first like to thank Matt Bassett and the members of the search committee for providing me with the chance to pursue this opportunity. Le Moyne has a tradition of excellence and I am honored to continue to build on the success of the softball program. I envision this program to not only strive for excellence and integrity on the field, but also in the community and classroom as well."
A native of Greece, New York, Johnson comes to Le Moyne after serving the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. In this role, she was responsible for assisting the head coach with all aspects of the program including training, competition, travel arrangements, scheduling, camps and fundraising. After going 25-23 with a 13-9 record in the GLIAC in 2017, the Chargers went 25-16, including a 14-8 record in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play, en route to capturing their first G-MAC Championship and first berth in the NCAA Midwest Regional since 1991.
Before her hiring at Hillsdale, Johnson was the assistant director of baseball operations and director of social and digital media at Ninth Inning Baseball in Chamblee, Georgia. In these roles, she worked with the 6U, 8U, 10U and 12U age groups, while also assisting in the implementation of marking and social media plans for the organization.
Johnson graduated magna cum laude in three years from Syracuse University in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in Communications and Rhetorical Studies. The following year, she received a master's in Sport Venue and Event Management from Syracuse. She was a member of the National Society of College Scholars, part of Lambda Pi Eta-National Honor Society
During her undergraduate career at Syracuse, Johnson was a member of the softball program. She appeared in 71 games for the Orange and drew 51 starting assignments. She recorded 20 runs batted in, scored 13 runs and posted a .260 batting average on balls in play (BABIP). For her efforts in the classroom, Johnson was selected to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Academic Team. She was the President of the University's chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. As a graduate student, Johnson assisted the coaching staff in conducting practices and preparing team on game days, while also organizing scouting reports and managing student-athlete schedules and prospective student-athlete database.
- Information for this release provided by the athletic communications staff at Le Moyne
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
