College of the Holy Cross Women's Softball

Jon Ladino enters his second season as head coach of the Holy Cross softball team in 2026.  Ladino joins the Crusaders after three seasons as the head coach and Assistant Athletic Director for Business Operations at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. His .682 winning percentage ranks as the best all-time in program history, and he also recorded a conference winning percentage of .830. In his time with the Wildcats, Ladino’s team earned a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship and NCAA Regional berth while also totaling 40 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American Scholar-Athletes and averaging a team GPA of 3.73.  During Ladino’s time in Providence, a total of 45 student-athletes were named to the GNAC Academic All-Conference Team – 15 in each of his three seasons. "I would like to thank Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kit Hughes, Assistant Director of Athletics Chase Ferguson and the rest of the search committee for this incredible opportunity to lead Holy Cross softball,” Ladino said. “We will strive for excellence in all that we do both on and off the field, with our ultimate goal to build a strong culture focused on respect, team, competition and community. Throughout the interview process, it was evident that Holy Cross is a very special institution with an incredible community, and it is truly a privilege to be a part of Holy Cross and its athletic department. I am excited to get to work and lead an amazing group of young women who strive for excellence." In 2024, the Wildcats won 22 games and were one of the final four teams remaining in the GNAC Tournament. Eight student-athletes received GNAC All-Conference honors, four of which – Hailey Erickson, Katie Scheid, Caroline Amorelli, and Mackenzie Clee – were honored by the NFCA. In 2023, the Wildcats won 27 games and secured the top seed in the GNAC Tournament. Eight student-athletes earned all-conference accolades, including GNAC Rookie of the Year Mady Lyons – while both Erickson and Jill Pulek earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region Team accolades. In Ladino’s first season at the helm of the program in 2022, he guided the Wildcats to a 37-8 record (13-3 GNAC), their first GNAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Regionals. The 2022 Wildcats set the program record for fewest losses during the regular season (six) and established program records for batting average (.398), runs (356), home runs (49), and RBI (323). Johnson & Wales also finished in the top three nationally in average, runs, hits, home runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. A total of eight student-athletes were named to the GNAC All-Conference Team in 2022, including Clee, who was tabbed GNAC Rookie of the Year. Six student-athletes later garnered NFCA All-Region honors, highlighted by Gamble, who also earned NFCA second team All-America honors. Ladino is no stranger to Worcester, spending the prior four seasons as the head coach at Assumption College. The Greyhounds compiled a 61-53 mark during Ladino’s tenure (44-33 Northeast-10) and qualified for the postseason every year.  Ladino cut his teeth in collegiate coaching at Becker College in 2015, helping the Hawks post a 47-27 (30-6 NECC) record during his two years in Leicester and win the 2016 NECC Championship, the first in program history. He coached both the NECC Pitcher and Rookie of the Year while at Becker and saw seven student-athletes receive first team All-NECC honors and seven grab a spot on the NECC All-Academic team. From there, Ladino moved on to Regis College, helping the Pride to a 16-13 record in his lone season in Weston in 2017. The program won a record 13 conference games behind six all-conference selections, highlighted by the NECC Pitcher of the Year, Madi McLellan. During his time in collegiate coaching throughout New England, Ladino has also served as a Title III Academic Coach, Area Director and First-Year Experience Instructor. He graduated from Merrimack College in 2012 with a degree in business administration and later received a master's degree in higher education student administration from Salem State University in 2014.  

Christine Akcer enters her first season as an assistant coach with the Holy Cross softball team in 2025. Akcer joins the Crusaders after spending three seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Rhode Island softball program from 2022-2024.  In 2024, she helped lead the Rams to a 15-37 overall record and 10-16 conference record. She worked with pitchers Katie Zaun and Ashley Hibbard, Rhody's go-to options on the mound. The pair combined 12 wins, 211.1 innings pitched, 110 strikeouts, and five saves on the year.  In 2023, Akcer worked with pitcher Liz Lynchard, who earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I Northeast All-Region Second Team honors. Lynchard was second in the conference with a 3.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and finished the regular season fourth in the A-10 with 7.1 strikeouts per 7.0 innings and fifth in total strikeouts with 142. She ranked in the top seven in the conference in strikeouts (5th), wins (7th), shutouts (t-2nd) and innings pitched (7th). Rhode Island's top pitcher, Lynchard was the first woman in 20 years with four shutouts in one season for the Rams. She was the first Ram to earn All-Region honors since 2002. In her first season, Akcer helped junior Liz Lynchard post career highs in wins (8), appearances (35), starts (27), complete games (11), innings pitched (155.1), strikeouts (118), shutouts (2) and saves (2). The 118 strikeouts were the eighth-highest single season total in program history, and the 35 appearances were the sixth most. Lynchard earned Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference honors. Defensively, catcher Susan Harrison was just the fourth player in program history to have a perfect fielding percentage while handling at least 75 chances. Akcer previously was at Southern Connecticut State as an assistant coach beginning in November of 2016. She served as the program’s interim head coach during the spring semester of 2021. While with the Owls, Akcer worked directly with the team’s pitchers and catchers. In 2021, Southern Connecticut State had a team earned run average of 2.87, the program’s lowest since 2013. Freshman Jessica Perucki was an All-Northeast 10 selection, earning both third-team and all-rookie team honors. She was 7-6 with three saves and 92 strikeouts in 87.1 innings of work. As a player, Akcer won four regular season Little East Conference titles and three tournament titles as a pitcher for Eastern Connecticut State. She led her team to NCAA Regional titles in 2010 and 2011, advancing to the NCAA Division III World Series both years. Akcer earned her bachelor's degree in Sport and Leisure Management from Eastern Connecticut State in 2013, and she completed a master's degree in Sport Management from Southern New Hampshire in 2016.

Meghan Gorman enters her first season as an assistant coach with the Holy Cross softball team in 2025. Gorman recently graduated from Central Connecticut State University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and a Cross Endorsement in Health, as well as a Minor in Psychology.  As a former student athlete herself, Gorman played softball for the Blue Devils during her undergraduate years. Gorman was a standout player for CCSU, earning 2024 All-Northeast Conference All-Tournament Team, as well as 2023 NEC Most Improved Player and 2023 First Team All-Northeast Conference. As a senior, she played in 46 games, hitting .294 with 17 RBIs, 38 runs, and four home runs. Throughout her collegiate career, she appeared in 170 games, recording over 100 hits, 40 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases.  Off the field herself, Gorman works as Hitting and Fielding Instructor for Next9Up as well as being a volunteer coach for the Rhode Island Thunder Gold-Lotti in the 16u and 14u National Teams. In the classroom, Gorman worked as a long-term Physical Education and Health Sub on multiple occasions.

Kate Magill is in her third season as an assistant coach for the Holy Cross swimming and diving teams in 2025-2026.  Last year, Magill helped the Crusaders break 19 school records at the Patriot League Championship, including 14 for the men and five for the women Magill came to Holy Cross from the University of Massachusetts, where she was an assistant swimming and diving coach during the 2022-23 season. She had a role in student-athlete recruitment and assisted the head coach in fostering positive student-athlete experiences, academic excellence and cultivating team culture. A standout collegiate athlete, Magill was a member of the Fordham women’s swimming and diving team from 2017-2021. A team captain, she earned second team All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors in the 1,650-yard freestyle as a junior, while helping lead the team to three top-four finishes at the Atlantic 10 Championship. Magill also assisted in content creation for all team specific social media channels. An All-American Scholar-Athlete and a four-time Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection, Magill was part of the Fordham Athletics Leadership Academy from 2017-2021.  She graduated from Fordham in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in new media and digital design and a minor in marketing.

Caleb Lambert is in his first year as an assistant coach for the Holy Cross swimming and diving programs in 2025-2026, with a focus on strength and conditioning. During the 2024-2025 season, Lambert served as a strength and conditioning fellow at Holy Cross. He worked directly with the swimming and diving teams, while assisting with field hockey, softball and men’s basketball. Lambert previously spent time as a strength and conditioning intern at Rhode Island, in addition to being a personal trainer and performance coach for Rhode Island’s campus recreation. Lambert is a 2024 graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a degree in kinesiology. He went on to earn a master’s degree in exercise and sport science from Merrimack College in 2025.

Kristy Jones is in her fourth season as the director of swimming and diving at the College of the Holy Cross in 2025-2026.  During the 2024-2025 campaign, Jones’ squads broke 19 school records at the Patriot League Championship, including 14 for the men and five for the women. The men’s squad finished the year with a 4-2 dual meet record, good for its first winning season in over 20 years, while the women went 3-3 overall. In addition to their accomplishments in the pool, Jones’ teams have been extremely successful in the classroom over the last three seasons. Both programs have been honored as Scholar All-America Teams by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America during every semester of Jones’ tenure. In addition, she has coached 125 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selections (69 women and 56 men). Prior to her time with the Crusaders, Jones spent six seasons as the head coach of the swimming and diving programs at Babson College. Jones’ team saw considerable success both in  the pool and in the classroom, with her swimmers and divers breaking 43 school records and earning numerous Scholar All-America accolades each semester. Jones was instrumental in recruitment efforts for the Beavers, expanding the teams’ roster from 20 student-athletes to 53, with athletes hailing from 15 different states and eight different countries. Jones guided the Babson men’s team to its most dual-meet wins since 2001-2002 in 2017-2018 and 2019-2020, while placing fourth at the NEWMAC Championships in 2018-2019. Coaching the women, Jones set a program record for dual-meet wins (10) in 2019-2020, while recording a program-best 343.5 points at the NEWMAC Championship. Outside of the pool, Jones managed the Athletic Tutoring Program by interviewing, hiring and managing 25 students to peer tutor Babson student-athletes. Jones previously spent two years as an assistant coach at WPI from 2014-2016, and was responsible for day-to-day training sessions and strength and conditioning workouts while assisting with fundraising and recruiting efforts for teams that set 47 school records. Prior to WPI, Jones was an assistant at Brown for six years from 2007-2013, leading the planning and execution of workouts, fundraising and recruitment efforts, in addition to being involved in the institution’s faculty liaison program and the team’s mentoring initiative.  A Worcester resident, Jones was a standout four-year member of the swimming and diving squad at Indiana. A team captain for the Hoosiers during her senior season, Jones qualified for the NCAA Championship in the 200 and 400-yard individual medley in 2002 and 2003. She earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2002 and was an Olympic Trials qualifier.