California University of Pennsylvania

• 1997, 1998 NFCA National Coach of the Year
• 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 NFCA Regional Coach of the Year
• Nine-Time PSAC West Coach of the Year (1995-2001, 2004, 2009)

Entering his 16th season at California University of Pennsylvania, Rick Bertagnolli has guided the Cal U softball program into a perennial national contender and placed himself among the elite softball coaches in the country.

The Vulcans have reached the NCAA Tournament 14 times with back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 1997 and 1998.

Currently in his 25th season as a head coach, Bertagnolli has a career collegiate coaching record of 795-223 (.781) and holds an overall mark of 532-173 (.755) with the Vulcans. He ranks eighth among Division II active coaches in all-time victories and is the winningest coach in all of Cal U sports history.

Bertagnolli’s Vulcan teams have appeared in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Game 11 times and set a NCAA record with 88-consecutive conference wins from 1994-99. In his Cal U career, he has amassed a record of 243-46 (.841) in league play, while he has collected 21 conference titles throughout his college coaching career.

Numerous Vulcan players have garnered national, regional and conference recognition under Bertagnolli’s direction. He has coached nearly 20 different All-Americans, over 35 different All-Mid-Atlantic Region honorees and almost 50 different all-conference selections. Since 1994, eight Cal U standouts have been named as the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and three have been selected PSAC West Rookie of the year.

In 1998, Bertagnolli helped tutor two-time All-American Danielle Penner, who was named the National Player of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). He has also coached a pair of Olympians in Meaggan Wilton (2000 Sydney) and Megan Timpf (2008 Beijing), both of whom represented Team Canada.

The Cal U softball success under Bertagnolli has also been evident in the classroom as last year nine players were named PSAC Scholar-Athletes. The Vulcans also boast 14 academic all-district players and two Academic All-Americans during his tenure.

Bertagnolli’s career at Cal U began in 1994 and in his first season the Vulcans recorded a 38-13 record, advanced to the PSAC championship game, and captured the regional championship.

After a combined 93 wins the next two seasons, the stage was set for a historic 1997 season. With Penner dominating opponents on the hill, Cal U rolled to a program-best 53-5 record to capture the first Cal U national championship in any sport in school history with a 2-1 victory in the championship game.

Four Vulcans earned All-America honors with Penner and third baseman Lith Webb earning first-team recognition. For his efforts, Bertagnolli was named the NFCA National and Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.

In 1998, Cal U became only the fourth (and last) school in Division II softball history to win back-to-back National Championships. The Vulcans registered a 47-7 overall record behind the play of five different All-Americans, including Penner, who was named NFCA Player of the Year after finishing her career with a NCAA record 141 career victories. Bertagnolli and his staff were named NFCA Division II National Coaching Staff of the Year, while Bertagnolli was selected NFCA National Coach of the Year for a second-straight season.

Since the two National Championships, Cal U has maintained a tradition of excellence by qualifying for the NCAA Tournament nine times in 10 seasons. The Vulcans also won 11-straight PSAC West Championships (1994-2004) and qualified for 15-straight PSAC Tournaments (1994-2008) under Bertagnolli.

In 2007, Bertagnolli registered his 500th career win with the Vulcans, while last season he coached Cal U to a 28-18 overall record and berths in the PSAC Tournament and NCAA Tournament.

Bertagnolli earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from South Illinois University-Edwardsville in 1984. He was a player on the Cougars’ baseball team and received MVP and all-conference recognition. During his senior season, SIU-E placed fourth in the Division II College World Series.

His softball career began playing Amateur Softball Association (ASA) major fastpitch for teams in St. Louis and Illinois. Bertagnolli played in seven state and five national tournaments, while being a member of the Silver Medal team at the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival.

Bertagnolli started his college coaching career at Wabash Valley Junior College in Mt. Carmel, Ill., and amassed over 115 victories with a trio of conference titles in only three years. He then served as head coach at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg for two seasons and helped the Rifles to back-to-back conference crowns and a NCAA Tournament appearance in 1992.

Bertagnolli, who also holds a master’s degree in education administration from the University of South Carolina, is a native of Benld, Ill. As a high school coach, he guided his team to the state championship in 1987 after beating the top-ranked team in the nation.

He resides with his wife Jodi and their daughter Ava.

Year	Overall Record	Win Pct.	PSAC West Record	Win Pct.	Post-Season
1994	38-13	.745	9-1	.900	NCAA Regional Champions
1995	48-7	.873	20-0	1.000	NCAA Tournament
1996	45-5	.900	20-0	1.000	PSAC Champions NCAA Regional Champions
1997	53-5	.914	20-0	1.000	PSAC Champions NCAA Regional Champions ** NCAA National Champions **
1998	47-7	.870	20-0	1.000	PSAC Champions NCAA Regional Champions ** NCAA National Champions **
1999	39-18	.679	17-3	.850	PSAC Champions NCAA Regional Champions
2000	44-15	.746	16-4	.800	PSAC Champions NCAA Tournament
2001	33-9	.786	19-1	.950	NCAA Tournament
2002	34-7	.829	19-1	.950	NCAA Tournament
2003	28-8	.778	17-3	.850	NCAA Tournament
2004	31-11	.738	17-3	.850	NCAA Tournament
2005	24-16	.600	13-7	.650	NCAA Tournament
2006	26-17	.605	13-7	.650	NCAA Tournament
2007	15-17	.469	11-8	.579	NCAA Tournament
2008	28-18	.609	12-8	.600
2009	35-10	.778	13-1	.929	NCAA Tournament
TOTALS	532-173	.755	256-47	.845