Jillian (Ortega) Rispoli was named head softball coach at Southern Connecticut State University in the fall, 2014 and enters her eighth year in this role in 2021-22.
Her initial campaign at SCSU saw the Owls finish with a 19-17 mark and qualify for the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. The Owls followed with a 12-win campaign in 2016, an eight-win tally in 2017 and 11 wins in 2018. The 2019 season saw the Owls capture nine wins, before the pandemic halted their season in 2020. Southern bounced back in 2021, capturing 14 wins and qualifying for the NE10 Tournament for the first time since 2015.
Ortega joined the Owls after spending three years as the head softball coach at nearby Mitchell College (Conn.). She guided the Mariners to 51 victories over that stretch – including a 36-18 mark in conference action – and three appearances in the New England Collegiate Conference Tournament.
Prior to joining the Mariners, Ortega was the head coach of the New London High School (Conn.) softball team. Her coaching resume also includes a season as a student assistant at the University of Connecticut, her alma mater.
Ortega was a marquee player at UConn, where she was a four-year letterwinner and a three-time All-BIG EAST performer at both shortstop and third base. She was a two-time NFCA Academic All-American and earned NFCA All-Region First Team accolades as a sophomore. Ortega batted .323 for her career and put her stamp on the Huskies' record book. Her 191 total hits, which ranks 12th all-time at UConn, brought in 105 RBI – fifth all-time in school history. She also totaled 19 home runs (fifth), 38 doubles (third), 298 total bases (sixth), 110 runs scored (ninth), and 55 walks (fifth).
Following her playing career, Ortega joined the UConn coaching staff in 2009-10 as a student assistant while finishing her undergraduate degree.
An active member of the coaching community, Ortega was a presenter at the Mohegan Sun World Softball Coaches' Convention for three years. The annual event is a coaches' clinic that features a curriculum designed especially for softball coaches and players and attracts more than 1,000 coaches and players from all levels of play. In 2012, Ortega was one of 15 presenters at the event, and the only head coach from a Division III institution.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut.
