Ramapo baseball and softball advanced to their 2025 NCAA tournaments, placing seniors on the field during the College’s undergraduate commencement. Then the College put a plan into action to give graduating Roadrunners another moment to shine.

May 29, 2025

by Lauren Ferguson

When Ramapo College of New Jersey’s all-time softball hit leader Katie Rygiel ‘25 first walked on the College’s Mahwah campus as a freshman, she told her mother she hoped she would miss commencement, because that would mean her team would still be playing in the postseason.

That is the story Rygiel’s mother recently shared with Ramapo’s head softball coach Bridgette Quimpo.

And after countless hours of hard work, on and off the field, that is exactly what happened for the standout shortstop and her teammates.

This year, the College’s softball and baseball teams earned at-large bids to their respective NCAA tournaments – the third consecutive trip for Ramapo softball and the second consecutive trip for baseball. The timing of the prestigious tournaments meant senior student-athletes were states away when more than 1,160 of their classmates celebrated commencement in front of family and friends at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, on May 15.

Katie Rygiel ’25 fields a ball at the NCAA tournament in Gettysburg, PA.

“I was excited to be there again. It’s a privilege to be able to do that,” pitcher William Paoli ‘25, an economics major from Flanders, NJ, said of making it to the Salisbury, MD, baseball tournament.

“There was no other place I would rather be than playing” at the tournament, said his catcher Shaun Piotrowski ‘25, an accounting major from Freehold, NJ.

Even though the fierce competitors said they would rather be playing their hearts out at the NCAA tournaments, the College still ensured that the Roadrunners who represented Ramapo so well on the diamond got their moment to toss their caps.

After they were done competing, nine softball and baseball players who earned their baccalaureate degrees joined more than 300 graduate students to walk at Ramapo’s graduate commencement ceremony on May 22. The student-athletes received cheers and recognition for their academic and athletic achievements.

Graduating baseball players stood to be recognized during the 2025 Graduate Commencement Ceremony.

“How about a round of applause for these Roadrunners!” Ramapo College President Dr. Cindy Jebb said, after instructing the group to stand and be recognized during the celebration at the Bradley Center on campus.

“We’re happy that the school decided to honor us in this way,” Rygiel, a communication arts major from Hillsborough, NJ, said as she and her teammates were preparing for the ceremony.

Elementary Education major Ysabellah Otero ‘25, of New Milford, NJ, who plays third base, said she was grateful that “now I get to walk in front of my family.”

“We had faith that the school was going to do something nice for us, and we are happy that they let us come,” said pitcher Sara Cappetti ‘25, of Burlington Township, NJ. The psychology major added that she was grateful she and her teammates made it to both the Gettysburg, PA, tournament and a commencement.

Graduating baseball and softball players posed following the 2025 Graduate Commencement Ceremony.

Coach Quimpo said anytime a team gets to the NCAA tournament “it’s a big deal, ” because only 64, of the more than 400 teams throughout the country, make it to that level. She also said Ramapo does a great job of “recognizing our success and empathizing with the fact that we are also missing out on a very important day.”

Head baseball coach Ryan Rinsky shared similar feelings.

“Everyone wants the opportunity to be able to walk during graduation and take those photos that they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. But at the same time, getting the opportunity to represent the college and playing in the national tournament, on the national stage is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Rinsky said. “So the fact that the college was able to accommodate so that our guys were able to do both of those things is definitely very special.”

Other Roadrunners who participated in their respective NCAA tournaments and the 2025 graduate commencement were: communications arts major Marissa DiPaolo ‘25 of Warren, NJ; finance major Dominick Ciani ‘25 of  Rutherford, NJ; management major Billy Scanlon ‘25 of Morris Plains, NJ; and law and society major Jesse Swartout ‘25 of Oakville, CT.