Head Coach Meredith McCarthy (8th season)
High School: Bishop Eustace Prep
College: Rowan University (2013)
Major: Public Relations
Minor: Advertising
Meredith McCarthy returns for her eighth season coaching the Rutgers-Camden softball team, making her the second-longest tenured coach in program history. Only Carl Taylor, who coached 12 seasons from 1996-2007, has guided the program for more seasons.
With a young team, McCarthy led the 2024 Scarlet Raptors to a 17-25 record, increasing their victories by seven over the 2023 team, and helping Rutgers-Camden earn a berth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs. Outside of the 2021 season, when all teams in the conference were given a playoff berth in the post-Covid 19 season, it was the Raptors’ first NJAC post-season berth since 2016.
The Raptors’ 17 wins were the most since the program went 21-19 in 2016.
McCarthy’s 2024 team included freshman pitcher Sammie Friel, who earned a berth on the NJAC Second Team and was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year. Designated hitter Kamryn Kennedy earned All-NJAC First Team honors, while centerfielder Alexa McNee joined Friel on the NJAC Second Team. Friel was one of four Scarlet Raptors who combined to earn six NJAC Rookie of the Week honors.
McCarthy’s 2023 team improved by two wins in both its overall and NJAC records, posting a 10-24 overall record and a 7-11 mark in the conference. The 10 wins were the most since the 2019 team also won 10, while the seven conference victories were the most since the Scarlet Raptors posted an 8-10 mark in 2021.
McCarthy also saw pitcher Lindsey Rodzon and right fielder Jayden Hunter capture NJAC Second Team honors. Over her six full seasons at the helm, McCarthy’s teams have produced 12 all-conference players. The NJAC didn’t award all-conference honors during the pandemic-shortened four-game 2020 season.
McCarthy also has produced 40 academic all-conference players during her tenure at Rutgers-Camden. One of those players – catcher Alexis Davis in 2021 – was Rutgers-Camden’s NJAC First Team Academic representative, while the Scarlet Raptors also produced NJAC Academic Second Team players in 2018 (first baseman Mariah Hans) and 2021 (first baseman Marissa Beebe).
After posting 10 wins in both of her first two seasons, McCarthy had her team off to a 3-1 start in 2020 before the whole season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic still hampered the 2021 season, when the Scarlet Raptors posted a 9-14 overall record, including a thrilling first-round win in the NJAC playoffs.
McCarthy’s Rutgers-Camden record
McCarthy was hired in August, 2017, as the ninth head coach in the history of the Scarlet Raptors’ program. After making the late transition to a new school and program, her first Scarlet Raptors team posted a 10-21 record in 2018, including a 3-15 mark in conference play. Her 2019 team went 10-22 overall, but improved its NJAC record to 5-13. That squad featured a pair of all-conference players in shortstop Nina Arroyo (NJAC Second Team) and rookie outfielder Karlie Kennedy (NJAC Honorable Mention), as well as the team’s Most Valuable Player, pitcher Byrnes.
McCarthy came to Rutgers-Camden very familiar with the competitive NJAC. She served for five years as an assistant coach at conference power Rowan University. She inherited a Rutgers-Camden program that posted a 13-23 record, but lost several veterans, including All-NJAC Second Team second baseman Jalene Garcia.
“The NJAC is arguably the best conference in the country at this level,” said McCarthy, who is looking to return Rutgers-Camden to its past history of softball dominance, which included the 2006 NCAA Division III championship. “There’s definitely talent here and a lot of room to grow in a positive direction. It’s going to take a lot of work and a lot of dedication to get where we want to go. There’s room for a lot of growth here. There’s a lot of potential.”
McCarthy served as an assistant coach at Rowan for five seasons. During that time, Rowan captured two NJAC tournament titles, three regular-season NJAC championships, reached the NCAA tournament each year and consistently ranked among the nation’s top Division III teams. The Profs won two NCAA Regional championships, one NCAA Super Regional championship and earned one NCAA national championship tournament berth during that span.
“We are very excited to have Meredith join our staff here at Rutgers-Camden,” said Jeffrey Dean, the Director of Athletics and Recreational Services, when he hired McCarthy. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from one of the most competitive Division III programs in the state and the nation, and we are looking forward to having her guide our program.”
The head softball coach of the South Jersey Gators Futures program since 2013, McCarthy also has served as an assistant coach at her high school alma mater, Bishop Eustace Prep, from 2010-2012. During her scholastic days at Bishop Eustace (2005-2008), she was a team captain and earned Second Team All-Conference and Camden County All-Star recognition.
McCarthy played for the South Jersey Bandits softball team from 1998-2006 and for the New Jersey Inferno program from 2006-2008.
A 2013 graduate of Rowan University, McCarthy received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations, while earning a minor in Advertising. She lives in Cherry Hill.
