Coaching Staff

As the fall semester gets underway and the team prepares to return to action, Fordham University Softball Head Coach Melissa Inouye announced the addition of Mackenzie Swinehart to her staff as an assistant coach in August 2023.

Amongst her many responsibilities, Swinehart was tasked with scouting and filming for the Irish, practice and gameday setup, and live hitting and pitching in practice, and comes to Rose Hill with a plethora of knowledge in top scouting programs including Synergy and BATS. In addition, she assisted with hitting and outfield drills, game charting, and oversaw the student-athlete mental health wellness committee for the softball prgram. 

In her two years in South Bend, the Fighting Irish amassed an overall record of 70-31-1, including 10 victories over Top-10 opponents. Notre Dame would make an appearance in the NCAA Regionals in each of those seasons, winning a game in each tournament. During her tenure, Swinehart helped coach her players to 18 NFCA All-Region selections, 18 ACC All-Academic nods, and 18 All-ACC Honors.

Her time with Notre Dame also saw numerous standout athletics come through the program, including Karina Gaskins, the 2022 ACC Player of the Year, and Carlli Kloss, who was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year last spring, in addition to being named a JWOS First Team All American and NFCA Second Team All American.

Prior to coaching with the Fighting Irish, Swinehart was a four-year softball player at Western Michigan University where she set all-time career marks for the program in hits (243) and runs scored (673) and is second all-time with a career .361 batting average. In her time with the Broncos, she was a two-time All-MAC honoree, earning first-team selection in her senior season as well as a second-team nod in 2017, her rookie campaign where she was also named to the MAC All-Freshman team.

Jake Long joined the Fordham Softball staff in July of 2024, making 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."