Head Coach Melissa Inouye

Melissa Inouye enters her sixth season at the helm of the Fordham softball program in 2024. 

In her five years, Inouye has led the Rams to a pair of Atlantic 10 titles, including the program's seventh straight in 2019, a season that coincided with her earning Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year accolades. A former assistant under long-time head coach Bridget Orchard in 2012, Inouye claimed her second conference crown came in 2022, leading the program to its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance all-time.

This past spring, Neleh Nogay became just the eighth player in program history to be named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team as a freshman.  Nogay and fellow freshman Holly Beeman earned All-Rookie honors as the Rams qualified for their 20th consecutive Atlantic 10 Tournament.

After the 2020 season was cut short due to the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rams posted a banner year in 2021, going 37-10 overall and 17-3 in league play to earn the no. 2 seed at the A-10 Championship. Fordham's season came to a close with a loss to eventual champion, George Washington. Still, the Rams saw six student-athletes garner All-Conference honors in May - Devon Miller was named Rookie of the Year along with First Team All-Conference and All-Rookie, while Brianna Pinto and Sarah Taffet were named to the Second Team, Bella Ayala and Bailey Enoch to the All-Rookie team, and Madie Aughinbaugh to the All-Academic squad. Aughinbaugh, Rachel Hubertus, Miller, and Pinto were all selected as NFCA Third Team All-Region honorees, as well. 

2019 was another stellar season for the softball program during Inouye's first campaign in charge, as the Rams finished with a 29-26 overall record, 16-6 in league play, and a seventh consecutive, and eighth overall, A-10 title. They added a sixth regular season championship for good measure. In addition to Inouye's Coach of the Year accolade, junior Madie Aughinbaugh was named the league's Pitcher of the Year and the A-10 Championship's Most Outstanding Player for a second consecutive year, plus First Team All-Conference and NFCA Third Team All-Region honors. 

Inouye also oversaw tremendous improvement from several of the team's seniors, as Jordy Storm, who had played sparingly prior to that year, was named to the A-10 First Team and NFCA All-Region Second Team. Joining her on the All-Conference squads were senior Maria Trivelpiece (Second Team) and freshmen Makenzie McGrath and Sarah Taffet on the All-Rookie team. Inouye's offense finished with the third-best batting average in program history (.306), fifth-highest slugging percentage (.459), and sixth-highest on-base percentage (.367), while senior Molly Roark's 16 home runs were tied for third-most all-time. 

Inouye spent one season as an assistant coach at Fordham under Orchard in 2012, working with outfielders and catchers primarily, when the team finished runners-up in the conference standings in a season that included a home win over #3 Alabama in the regular season finale, the program's best win against a nationally-ranked opponent. The Rams finished the season with a 32-26 overall record and 15-6 in league action. Inouye created and directed the team's booster club and served as head travel coordinator, while also graduating from the June 2012 NCAA Women's Coaches Academy.

Despite the 2020 campaign getting cut short, the team still garnered five Atlantic 10 weekly awards in just four weeks - freshman Amanda Carey was named Co-Rookie of the Week after the opening weekend, while Aughinbaugh earned one Player of the Week and one Pitcher honor, and freshman Devon Miller was named Rookie of the Week twice. 

Prior to her return to the Bronx, Inouye spent six years as head coach of the Iona softball program. While in charge of the Gaels, Inouye was named MAAC Coach of the Year on two occasions, including in 2017 after leading the team to the MAAC regular season title with a 15-5 league record and the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC), where Iona defeated Campbell for its first-ever postseason victory. Inouye also took home the MAAC's top coaching honors after leading the program to its sixth conference championship, and a trip to the Seattle NCAA Regional, in 2014.

In nearby New Rochelle, Inouye saw four major awards for her student-athletes, eight First Team All-Conference honorees, 11 Second Team selections, and three All-Rookie nods. Over seven seasons, 69 student-athletes earned MAAC All-Academic distinction.

Prior to her first stint at Fordham, Inouye spent four seasons at Southern Mississippi, where she oversaw the pitching staff and assisted with the defense and hitting. Before that, she served as an assistant coach at Kentucky where she earned her Master's degree in sports leadership. In Lexington, Inouye held several responsibilities, including recruiting coordinator, outfield coach, compliance liaison, co-director of camps, and director of the booster club. Prior to that, Inouye was an assistant coach at Northwestern State and, before that, began her coaching career as a volunteer at her alma mater, UNLV.

Inouye was a two-year starter with the Rebels, playing first base and catcher, and served as a team captain. She was a three-time Academic All-Mountain West selection, a seven-time Dean's List honoree, and earned the Coaches' Award during her senior season. Inouye graduated with her Bachelor's degree in recreation and leisure studies and fitness management.