FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2014
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Jillian Ortega has been named as head softball coach at Southern Connecticut State University, as it was announced by Owls' Director of Athletics Jay Moran.
Ortega assumes the duties from Lisa Barbaro, who spent the last 10 seasons as head coach of the program. Barbaro will continue to serve in her role as head volleyball coach for the Owls.
Ortega joins the Owls after spending the last three years as the head softball coach at nearby Mitchell College (Conn.). She guided the Mariners to 51 victories over that stretch - including a 36-18 mark in conference action - and three appearances in the New England Collegiate Conference Tournament.
"Jillian has clearly established herself a rising star in the collegiate softball ranks," Moran said. "We are excited to have her leading our program on the field, in the classroom and in the community."
"I also want to thank Coach Barbaro for her dedication in taking our softball program to new heights over the course of the past 10 years and look forward to her enjoying continued success at the helm of our volleyball program."
Prior to joining the Mariners, Ortega was the head coach of the New London High School (Conn.) softball team. Her coaching resume also includes a season as a student assistant at the University of Connecticut, her alma mater.
Ortega was a marquee player at UConn, where she was a four-year letterwinner and a three-time All-BIG EAST performer at both shortstop and third base.
She was a two-time NFCA Academic All-American and earned NFCA All-Region First Team accolades as a sophomore. Ortega batted .323 for her career and put her stamp on the Huskies' record book.
Her 191 total hits, which ranks 12th all-time at UConn, brought in 105 RBI - fifth all-time in school history. She also totaled 19 home runs (fifth), 38 doubles (third), 298 total bases (sixth), 110 runs scored (ninth), and 55 walks (fifth).
Following her playing career, Ortega joined the UConn coaching staff in 2009-10 as a student assistant while finishing her undergraduate degree.
An active member of the coaching community, Ortega was a presenter at the Mohegan Sun World Softball Coaches' Convention for three years. The annual event is a coaches' clinic that features a curriculum designed especially for softball coaches and players and attracts more than 1,000 coaches and players from all levels of play.
In 2012, Ortega was one of 15 presenters at the event, and the only head coach from a Division III institution.
She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sports sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Content for this release provided by Southern Connecticut State University
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