Riley Johnson Named Assistant Softball Coach
9/4/2019 11:56:00 AM | Softball
BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo head softball coach Mike Ruechel has announced the addition of assistant coach Riley Johnson to the coaching staff. Johnson will work primarily with the defense at UB.
"We are excited to welcome Riley to the UB softball program," Ruechel said. "Riley came to us very highly recommended and her enthusiasm, knowledge and care for the student-athletes is what separates her from the rest. I am excited to see how she can help us continue to make strides in the right direction."
Most recently, Johnson served as the head coach at Le Moyne College for the 2018 season, where she extended the program's streak of winning seasons to six, posting a 21-19 record and a 13-9 record in the Northeast 10 Conference.
A native of Greece, New York, Johnson came to Le Moyne after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where 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
Johnson 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. 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.
"I would like to thank Coach Ruechel for providing me with the opportunity to join the University at Buffalo softball program and the Buffalo community," said Johnson. "I am excited about the direction in which this program is moving under the guidance of Coach Ruechel and I look forward to returning to the Division I level and working with the entire coaching staff and mentoring the players at UB. Go Bulls!"
"We are excited to welcome Riley to the UB softball program," Ruechel said. "Riley came to us very highly recommended and her enthusiasm, knowledge and care for the student-athletes is what separates her from the rest. I am excited to see how she can help us continue to make strides in the right direction."
Most recently, Johnson served as the head coach at Le Moyne College for the 2018 season, where she extended the program's streak of winning seasons to six, posting a 21-19 record and a 13-9 record in the Northeast 10 Conference.
A native of Greece, New York, Johnson came to Le Moyne after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where 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
Johnson 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. 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.
"I would like to thank Coach Ruechel for providing me with the opportunity to join the University at Buffalo softball program and the Buffalo community," said Johnson. "I am excited about the direction in which this program is moving under the guidance of Coach Ruechel and I look forward to returning to the Division I level and working with the entire coaching staff and mentoring the players at UB. Go Bulls!"
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