St. John's Fisher College Women's Softball

The St. John Fisher softball program has been one of the most successful in NCAA Division III under the leadership of Bari Mance, who enters her 13th season as the Cardinals’ head coach in 2026.  Mance, a four-time Empire 8 Conference Coach of the Year, owns an impressive 343-138 career record and has led the Cardinals to more than 20 wins or more in 10 of her 11 full seasons as head coach (2019-20 was shortened to 10 games due to COVID-19). Fisher has won five Empire 8 titles and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament seven times under Mance, who guided the Cardinals to the DIII College World Series in 2016 and 2017. The Cardinals made it all the way to the championship series in 2017. Several of Mance’s players have been honored at the conference and national levels (or both), including four players who’ve combined to earn seven All-America honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). One of the most dominant pitchers in NCAA history, Lindsay Thayer earned NFCA All-America honors four times, three times as a first-team selection. Thayer set the DIII record for strikeouts (1,540), matched the DIII record for scoreless innings pitched (75) and recorded the third-most shutouts (59) in DIII history, among an endless list of other feats, during her decorated collegiate career.  Fisher’s all-time leaders in batting average (Emily McManus), hits (Katie Mazierski), home runs (Sarah Kubik), runs batted in (Kubik) and stolen bases (Julia Sortisio) have also played under Mance. Thayer, of course, holds every pitching record in Fisher history.  The Cardinals have had five 30-plus win seasons with Mance in the dugout, most recently in 2024. They won the Empire 8 championship to earn the conference’s automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament that season, which they finished with an overall mark of 35-7.  The Cardinals in 2016 won an NCAA Regional, an NCAA Super Regional and rattled off three straight victories in the College World Series before being eliminated, ending the season with a 41-12 record.  The following year, Fisher again advanced past the Regional and Super Regional rounds in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Division III World Series. The Cardinals won three games, including two against Williams College, setting the program’s single-season wins record (44) and clinching a spot in the national championship series against Virginia Wesleyan.  The Cardinals reached their third consecutive Super Regional in 2018, when they finished 35-10 overall. They captured their second of three straight E8 titles en route to that year’s NCAA Tournament.  Mance played for the Cardinals from 1999-2002 and served as an assistant coach under St. John Fisher Hall of Famer Len Maiorani for 11 seasons before becoming the program’s head coach. The Cardinals won four Empire 8 championships and reached the NCAA Tournament five times during her decade as an assistant.  As a player, Mance was a member of the 1999 squad that set a then-program record for wins in a season with 39, and as a junior in 2001 helped guide Fisher to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Year-By-Year At Fisher Year Overall Record Conference Regular-Season Record/Postseason Finish 2025 29-15 18-4 (reached E8 championship) 2024 35-7 14-0 (won E8 championship, reached NCAA Tournament Regional) 2023 28-14 12-4 (won E8 championship, reached NCAA Tournament Regional) 2022 18-19 11-3 (reached E8 championship) 2021 31-7 19-1 (won E8 championship, reached NCAA Tournament Regional) 2020 7-3 Season was cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic 2019 27-17 12-2 (won E8 championship, reached NCAA Tournamenet Regional) 2018 35-10 14-0 (won E8 championship, advanced to NCAA Tournament Super Regional) 2017 44-8 12-2 (won E8 championship, reached College World Series, advanced to championship series against Virginia Wesleyan) 2016 41-12 9-3 (reached E8 championship game, advanced past NCAA Tournament Regional and Super Regional en route to College Word Series) 2015 28-14 9-5 (reached E8 championship) 2014 20-12 5-7 Totals 343-138 (.713) 135-31 (.813) By The Numbers Under Mance All-Empire 8 Honors Earned: 88 (41 first team) Empire 8 Pitcher of the Year Winners: 4… Lindsey Thayer x2 (2015, 2016), Cassidy Ormond (2024), Ainsley Evanetski (2025) Empire 8 Player of the Year Winners: 4… Emily Trotman (2021), Allie Klonowski (2022), Maddie Donlin (2024), Emily McManus (2025) Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Winners: 2…Lindsey Thayer (2015) and Sammie Torlish (2018) Empire 8 Tournament MVP Winners: 5… Lindsey Thayer (2017), Sarah Kubik (2018), Ashley Prince (2019), Allie Klonowski (2023), Mari Spitz (2024) NFCA All-America Selections: 7… Lindsey Thayer x4 (2015, 2016**, 2017**, 2018**), Katie Mazierski (2017), Emily Trotman (2021), Emily McManus (2025)… ** denotes first-team NFCA All-Region Honors Earned: 35 (20 first team) Updated 2/10/2026

Jason Byam, inducted into the St. John Fisher Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017, became head coach of the Cardinals' men's and women's tennis programs in August 2025. Byam graduated from Fisher in 2006 and played under longtime tennis coach Linda Gohagan. He recorded the most wins (81) by a men’s tennis player in school history and earned All-Empire 8 honors six times in singles and doubles during his collegiate career.  Byam previously served as the head tennis professional at the nearby Mendon Racquet Club, where he coached youth, high school and collegiate tennis players. He has continued playing competitively since graduating, winning three Rochester District championships in doubles. “I am honored to be named the head coach of the St. John Fisher men’s and women’s tennis teams,” Byam said after his hiring. “I am especially proud to follow in the footsteps of my coach, Linda Gohagan, who devoted so much of her career to the Fisher tennis programs and the countless student-athletes who played for her."

Renee Smith joined the Fisher softball coaching staff in 2019.   Before her time with the Cardinals, Smith served as the modified basketball, volleyball, and softball coach for Livonia Central School before moving into the varsity assistant basketball coach role.    Moving away from scholastic play and into the college level, Smith found herself at Genesee Community College as the head coach of the softball program for 2 years. After her time at GCC, Smith spent 4 years as an assistant coach for the Monroe Community College softball program.   In addition to coaching, Smith also worked as a recreation therapist for 5 years. More recently, Smith served as a personal trainer and as a group fitness instructor for Core Capacity for 2 years. Now, Smith is the owner, a certified trainer, and a strength coach for Rise and Grind Fitness which she started in 2021. She also holds certifications as a Sports Performance Specialist and a Nutrition Specialist.   Smith graduated from Monroe Community College in 2004 with her Associate’s degree in Physical Education before continuing that degree at SUNY Cortland where she graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in 2007. In 2012, Smith earned her Master’s degree in Physical Education and Coaching from SUNY Cortland.    Smith resides in Livonia with her two dogs, Lily and Paisley.