St. Johns University (NY)

St. Johns University Dept of Athletics
 8000 Utopia Parkway Queens, NY 11439
Division 1 New York Northeast
Private Large National competitor
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Coaches

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Michelle DePolo

DePolo was named the 11th head coach of the Red Storm on Aug. 1, 2023, bring 12 years of Division I head coaching experience to Queens.


DePolo has produced a 341-277-1 record (.522) as a Division I head coach, reaching the postseason on 10 occasions, including nine consecutive appearances to Patriot League Tournament with Army West Point (2010-18).


Prior to her arrival in Queens, DePolo spent one season as an assistant coach with Florida Gulf Coast University, guiding the Eagles’ pitching staff to significant improvements in the circle in 2023. FGCU saw a 14-win increase with 32 victories last season while the pitchers lowered their earned run average by 1.14 points to a 3.16 ERA. DePolo and the Eagles made history in 2023 against ASUN powerhouse Liberty, who entered its March 25 doubleheader with a 39-1 record in its last 40 contests against conference competitors. FGCU took down the Flames with 1-0 and 5-0 victories, holding the host school to five hits in each contest and marking the first time Liberty suffered back-to-back scoreless setbacks against an ASUN opponent in program history.


Prior to her stint in Fort Myers, DePolo spent three seasons as the head coach at Tennessee Tech, going 61-61 during her tenure. In her final campaign, she led the Golden Eagles to a program-record 32 wins and its first Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament victory in seven seasons with a 3-1 victory over Eastern Illinois in 2022.


Before Tennessee Tech, DePolo also made history with Army West Point, being named the first female head coach of the softball program in 2009 after spending two seasons in an assistant role. She propelled the program to new heights during her inaugural campaign, leading Army to its first regular season title since 1992, tying the school record for single-season victories (33) and conference wins (15) in 2010, and earning Patriot League Coach of the Year. Her squad also ranked inside the top 25 nationally with 78 doubles that season.


During her nine campaigns with Army, DePolo became the program’s second-winningest coach with a 280-216 overall record, garnering nine straight Patriot League Tournament appearances and a conference tournament championship in 2013 by taking down Lehigh with back-to-back shutouts in the championship doubleheader. DePolo led the Black Knights to 30-plus victories in five seasons, including four 35-win campaigns, the only head coach in school history to reach that single-season threshold. DePolo earned a pair of Patriot League Coach of the Year awards (2010, ’16) and also guided five players to major Patriot League award winners. She also saw 22 student-athletes combine for 37 all-conference selections during her tenure, including 21 first-team honors.


DePolo’s rise to Division I head coach started in 2003 with the United States Military Academy Prep School in Monmouth, N.J., a one-year stint as head coach before taking on assistant coach responsibilities at Georgian Court University (2005), Smith College (2006) and Amherst College (2007).


DePolo graduated from Georgian Court with her bachelor’s degree in English in 2003 before securing her master’s in exercise and sports studies at Smith College in 2007. The four-year letterwinner and three-time Region X Champion at Georgian Court was also inducted into the University’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

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Marissa Rizzi

Former softball standout Marissa Rizzi in her first year as an assistant coach of the softball program.


During her playing tenure with St. John's, Rizzi became the first Red Storm student-athlete to bat over .400 in multiple seasons. The former first baseman led the team in both 2019 and 2021 with batting averages of .403 and .402, respectively.


During Rizzi's first season with the Johnnies in 2017, the team won its second regular season BIG EAST championship title. During that historic season, the Red Storm finished the year by setting single-season program records for BIG EAST wins, runs scored and RBIs, while matching the 1990 squad's wins record with 32. Rizzi recorded three home runs and 13 RBIs that spring.


After blasting seven round trippers and slugging .484 as a sophomore, Rizzi helped the Red Storm claim its third BIG EAST Regular Season Championship in 2019. She was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and NFCA All-Region Second Team after hitting .403 with 11 doubles, 12 home runs, and 34 RBIs.


After redshirting the 2020 season due to injury, Rizzi finished her career with the Red Storm by earning her second consecutive All-BIG EAST First Team honor and another nod to the NFCA All-Region Second Team in 2021. She made 30 starts, hitting .402 with a career-high 12 doubles and three home runs.


Rizzi graduated with a bachelor's in sport management from St. John's in 2020 before going on to receive her master's in the same discipline this past December. After hanging up her Red Storm uniform in the spring, she came back in the fall as a student assistant coach.

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Sean Crowell

Crowell brings eight years of coaching experience to Queens. Most recently, Crowell served as an assistant softball coach for five seasons at Brown. His responsibilities included spearheading recruiting operations and player development. During his time in Providence, Crowell helped mentor 16 All-Ivy League selections for the Bears.


Before his stint at Brown, Crowell was an assistant softball coach for Skidmore College. Focusing on the offensive side, Crowell helped the Thoroughbreds set a school record for doubles in a season (72). The team also witnessed an increase in hits and a decrease in strikeouts from Crowell’s coaching. His other responsibilities centered around recruiting, practice planning, and opponent scouting.


He got his coaching start at Dutchess Community College where he served as the head softball coach and assistant athletic director for the 2016-17 academic year. In this role, his duties included overseeing compliance, game scheduling, and coordinating team transportation.


Crowell earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ithaca College in 2015 and his associate's degree from Dutchess Community College in 2013.

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