Ultimate Game Softball Clinic

Bridget Orchard

Head Coach

Fordham University

Bridget Orchard is entering her eleventh season in 2012 as the Head Coach of Fordham University.

In 2011, Bridget Orchard led the Fordham Rams to a 42-19 record and to their second consecutive NCAA Regional, their first Atlantic 10 Conference regular season championship and second Atlantic 10 Conference tournament championship. Bridget was named 2011 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and the entire Fordham staff earned its second consecutive NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year. In 2010, Bridget led the Fordham University softball team to its most successful season in the program’s 25 year history. Bridget was named both the Atlantic 10 and ECAC Coach of the Year after leading Fordham to a school record 49 wins and its first ever NCAA tournament appearance. The entire Fordham staff was named the NFCA Mid-Atlantic Region Staff of the Year. Fordham consistently received votes for the Top 25 polls all season long. The Rams finished the season with an RPI rating of 30, which is the highest rating that the program has ever received. After placing second in both the Atlantic 10 regular season and in the conference tournament, Fordham earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament at the College Park Regional. Bridget directed Fordham to two victories over host Maryland en route to the tournament final where they fell to then #11 Oklahoma 2-0. In 2010, the team set seven new school team records including Wins, Strikeouts, Complete Game Shutouts, ERA, Slugging Percentage, Home Runs and Fielding Percentage.

In her coaching career, Bridget has won 493 games, which include 364 wins in nine years at Fordham and 129 wins in four years at Cabrini College in Pennsylvania. At Fordham, Bridget turned around a program that did not have a winning season in its 17-year existence into one of the top programs in the Atlantic 10 conference. In 2003, her second year at Fordham, Bridget led the Rams to 37 wins and to the Atlantic 10 Softball Championship game. For this achievement, Bridget earned the 2003 Atlantic 10 Softball Coach of the Year. In 2005, Bridget led Fordham to the Atlantic 10 championship game and earned her second Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year award. During her tenure at Fordham, Bridget has led the Rams to nine straight Atlantic 10 tournament appearances and nine straight seasons over 35 wins. She has coached one first team NFCA All-American, one ECAC Payer of the Year, three Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, one Atlantic-10 Pitcher of the Year, five Atlantic 10 Rookies of the Year, six Academic All-Americans, and 39 All-Atlantic 10 selections.

Fordham University

NFCA Mid-Atlantic Staff of the Year

NFCA Mid-Atlantic Staff of the Year