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Entering her eighth season with the Rams, Bridget Orchard continues to guide the Fordham softball program to new heights. Over the past four seasons, Orchard has led Fordham to 150 wins, which included a team record 39 in 2007. Most recently in 2008, the Rams had five All-Conference players, two All-Mid-Atlantic Region picks, and their second ever Academic All-American. As a team, the Rams fell just one win shy of their third Atlantic 10 Championship game appearance in four seasons. In 2007, The Rams had five All-Conference players, four All-Mid-Atlantic Region picks, and the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year for the fourth time in the last five years. Orchard also reached a personal milestone in 2007, recording her 200th win at Fordham, which came against Saint Louis at the Atlantic 10 Championship tournament. Following 2005, where Orchard led the Rams to the Atlantic 10 regular season title for the first time in program history, a team record nine players earned All-Conference honors in 2006. The Rams also made their second straight Atlantic 10 Championship game appearance in 2006, as well as recording 37 wins, which tied for the second most in team history. In 2005, Orchard led the Rams to their first Atlantic 10 Championship game, and had a number of players garner major honors. Fordham swept the major Atlantic 10 Awards with Katie Davis earning Player of the Year honors, Sara Kinney was the Pitcher of the Year, and Laura Klaiber was selected as Rookie of the Year, while Orchard captured her second Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Award in three years. She also received her first "Iron Major" Award as Fordham Coach of the Year, as the team set new records with 38 overall wins and 15 conference wins, while having three All-Conference players, three All-Region selections, two Academic All-Atlantic 10 picks, and two All-Atlantic 10 Championship players. Overall in Orchard's six-year tenure at Fordham, the Rams have had one Atlantic 10 Player and Pitcher of the Year (both in 2005), four Atlantic 10 Rookies of the Year (2003-05, 2007), three Academic All-Americans (Erin Brooks - 2003-04, Mary Beth Puccio - 2008), 25 All-Atlantic 10 selections, 12 All-Mid-Atlantic Region picks, three ECAC All-Stars, and eight Academic All-Conference awards. In 2003, she was named the Atlantic 10 Softball Coach of the Year, guiding Fordham to what was its finest season in team history prior to 2005, recording a school record 37 wins and the Rams' first-ever appearance in the Atlantic 10 Softball Tournament. At the time, she was the third Fordham head coach to receive the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors that year. The 2003 Rams also made the NCAA record book, as the team had a 23 ½ game improvement from the 2002 season, which is the 7th best turnaround in NCAA history. Prior to Fordham, she spent four seasons as the head coach at Cabrini College in Radnor, PA. "We are thrilled to have Bridget as a part of our coaching staff," stated Senior Associate Athletic Director Marianne Reilly at her hiring. "She brings tremendous enthusiasm and knowledge of the game, with the promise of a successful future for Fordham Softball." As head coach at Cabrini, Orchard posted a 129-42-2 career record, leading the squad to two straight NCAA Division III Tournament bids. In 2001, Cabrini was a finalist in the NCAA East Regional, and the squad was an NCAA Atlantic Regional finalist in 2000. Cabrini won three straight Pennsylvania Athletic Conference regular season championship titles under Orchard, and in 2001 the Cavaliers were ranked 10th in the nation by USA Today. In 2001 under Orchard, the Cavaliers led the NCAA Division III in hitting, pitching, and fielding. The squad took third place at the NFCA Leadoff Classic among the top 25 teams in the nation, and also won both the Cortlandt/Ithaca and Salisbury State Tournaments. Cabrini posted a 42-5 overall record and a 21-1 conference tally in 2001. Four of Orchard's players were named Division III All-Americans in 2001. Orchard was named the Division III East Regional Coach of the Year in 2001, and she was one of eight Division III National Coach of the Year candidates. A three-time PAC Coach of the Year, she was selected to coach the USA Athletes International Team in Germany in 2000. Orchard took over the Cabrini squad in 1998 and has built the Cavaliers into a national powerhouse in just four seasons. In her first season, Cabrini posted a 22-12-1 overall record, and improved to 26-14-1 the following season. In 2000 the Cavaliers went 39-9, and her 42-5 record in 2001 marks the most productive season in the school's history. In Orchard's four seasons, Cabrini has compiled a conference record of 85-9. Orchard's squads have also excelled off the field, as indicated by Cabrini's being ranked the fourth-highest academic team in the country by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 1999. A four-year standout at Villanova University from 1994-97, Orchard still holds three Wildcat records, and led Villanova to the ECAC Championship title in 1996. Named to the First Team All-Big East, she was also a three-time All-Big East Academic Team member, and was ranked second among the toughest players in the nation to strike out. In addition to her responsibilities as head softball coach at Cabrini, Orchard also served as the Cabrini College Director of Student Activities from 1999-2001. She received her degree in communication arts from Villanova in 1997, and earned a Masters of Education from Temple University in 2001. She currently resides in Rye Brook, NY, with her husband, Jay, and their sons, Luke and Zachary. |
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