Head Coach Mike Fazio announced that Samantha Rodriguez will join the Mavericks softball staff for the 2022 season.
“I am excited to have Sam join the staff. She brings a wealth of knowledge with her and she should play a key role in both recruiting and player development. I expect that in addition to working with our hitters, she will split her time with corner infielders and outfielders,” commented Fazio.
A Brooklyn, NY native, she comes to Mercy after a decorated collegiate softball career where she played at CUNY Brooklyn College from 2013-2016 and professionally in Puerto Rico. During her time at Brooklyn College she finished with a career .406 batting average, .581 slugging percentage, 181 hits, and 151 RBI. She holds the all-time hits record at Brooklyn College and is ranked 5th all-time in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). She was a 4x CUNYAC First-Team All Star and ranked nationally in DIII in slugging percentage, triples, and toughest to strikeout in the 2013 and 2015 seasons. A catcher and utility player, Rodriguez finished with a career 0.949 fielding percentage and a 2013 conference-best 16 runners caught stealing. In addition to her time on the softball field, Rodriguez was a member of the BC women’s soccer team where she was a goalie. She finished the fall 2016 season with 117 saves and 9 shutouts. After her time at Brooklyn College she played professional softball in Puerto Rico for the Buccaneers and finished with a .428 batting average. She was also a member of the Stratford Brakettes.
Off the field, Rodriguez has served in roles in both coaching and athletic administration. She is the Head of Operations & Softball Development at 33Rodz Baseball. She was invited in 2018 and 2019 to participate in MLB’s Take the Field program, a diversity initiative geared towards exposing women to careers in professional baseball. She has coached and mentored girls in the “Baseball For All” organization, a nationally recognized non-profit which provides girls opportunities to play baseball. Over the last 5 years she has hosted numerous softball and baseball camps and clinics and has also served as a guest coach and instructor for youth travel baseball and softball programs all in the tri state area. Rodriguez holds both a BA in Philosophy (2016) and an MS in Sports Management (2017) from CUNY Brooklyn College.
