Roy Kortmann
Business Manager/Softball Head Coach

Phone: (718) 488-1523
Email: roy.kortmann@liu.edu

Roy Kortmann begins his 24th season as head softball coach at LIU Brooklyn in 2018-19, and is in the midst of his third decade as the director of one of the top programs in the Northeast region. During that span, Kortmann has built a perennial softball powerhouse in downtown Brooklyn by earning ten Northeast Conference championships (1999-00, 2003-04, 2006-08, 2010, 2012, 2016) and subsequent appearances in the NCAA Division I Women's College World Series field.

Kortmann has set up his teams' postseason success with exceptional play in the regular season, as evidenced by his 11 NEC regular-season titles (2000-04, 2006-10, 2016), including a pair of five-year streaks. The unparalleled accomplishments of Kortmann and his staff have led to the Blackbirds earning NEC Coaching Staff of the Year honors nine times (1996, 1998, 2000-04, 2010, 2016) and four players (Rosette Rough, Randi Gillespie, Blaire Porter and Bianca Mejia) being named All-Americans during his tenure.

LIU Brooklyn captured the NEC regular season (first since 2010) and tournament titles (first since 2012) in 2016, raising the program's overall tournament tally to 14 championships. The Blackbirds, who beat Robert Morris 3-2 in a decisive game seven, have won more NEC Tournaments than any other conference school.

LIU advanced to four straight NEC Tournament title games between 2012-16, and came from the number four seed in 2018 to get to the title game against recent powerhouse Saint Francis U. once again.

Kortmann led a youthful bunch to a victory over No. 14 Michigan at the Florida Atlantic Kickoff Classic in 2013, and a 3-1 triumph over eventual NCAA at-large team BYU. The Blackbirds advanced to the NEC Tournament final before falling to Central Connecticut.

In 2012, a young group of Blackbirds that featured 10 underclassmen swept through the Northeast Conference Tournament and advanced to the program's ninth NCAA Tournament in 14 years.

Kortmann also eclipsed a coaching milestone with a victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) on March 25, 2012. The 3-2 win over the Red Flash, which came in thrilling fashion via a walk-off base hit from freshman Nicole Archer, secured the 500th win in Kortmann's illustrious career.

In 2010, Kortmann and his staff advanced LIU to the program's first Regional Final appearance. Victories over UMass and Boston University helped propel the Blackbirds to the best finish in program history and garnered the team votes in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Poll.

For their efforts, Kortmann and his staff were named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Northeast Coaching Staff of the Year, marking the third time in his career he and his staff have received the award. The staff was also voted NEC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2010.

Kortmann has coached almost 100 all-conference players, nine NEC Pitchers of the Year, five NEC Newcomers of the Year, and five NEC Player of the Year honorees. His program has produced 29 all-region selections, including 15 first-team members, and his teams have recorded eight 30-plus win seasons.

It is through this success that Kortmann is able to walk into some of the most prestigious amateur softball tournaments in the country and recruit and sign the nation’s best players. Not only are the future student-athletes among the cream of the crop, but so too is the schedule he and the LIU staff puts together each season. Kortmann continues to challenge his team by competing against nationally-ranked schools, lifting the Blackbirds onto the national scene in collegiate softball.

While Kortmann has averaged over 28 victories per season and reached the 400-win milestone with a victory over Robert Morris in 2008, he also expects the best from his players in the classroom and beyond. He expects the young women that set foot on the downtown Brooklyn campus to compete and succeed in the game of life. For the past three seasons, the Blackbirds were named an NFCA All-Academic team and finished 2010 with a team grade-point average of 3.11.

Throughout most of the 2000s, the Blackbirds have seen some of the most successful years in school history on the field. Long Island has won at least 29 games six times, won the NEC regular and postseason titles seven out of the past eight years and have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five seasons.

In 2010, the Blackbirds took down two ranked teams, No. 16 Ohio State and No. 21 Massachusetts in the NCAA Tournament. In 2009, the Blackbirds defeated their first-ever ranked team with an 11-6 win over No. 12 Northwestern. Long Island also knocked off eventual NCAA Super Regional participant Cal State Fullerton in extra innings during the 2007 season.

With the team successes comes individual player honors and the past few seasons have been no different. The trio of shortstop Bianca Mejia (2009), pitcher Blaire Porter (2008) and first baseman Randi Gillespie (2007) all earned spots on the Easton All-America Second Team in recent years. In 2010, Mejia, Porter, and Brynn Lewis were all named to the first team, while fellow Blackbirds Mariesha Marker and Chelsea Martinson were named to the NFCA All-Northeast Region Second Team. After the 2009 season, both Mejia and Porter, along with outfielder Renae Beauchman were named to the NFCA All-Northeast Region Team.

Kortmann has already left an enduring mark on the program, but year in and year out he and his staff are committed to winning championships and bringing his team to the national stage. With a top recruiting strategy and an overall philosophy based on hard work, it has become evident that while winning is an objective, he believes the program will thrive with players who are the embodiment of the true student-athlete. Coaching and recruiting in such a unique setting, Kortmann has taken an honest approach and has sold his team on the benefits of working hard and staying focused.

"Our girls have a special opportunity to not only play competitive Division I softball at LIU, but they are doing it in the heart of New York City where there will be countless opportunities for them after they graduate," Kortmann said. "Education always comes first and with that, the need to balance academics and their responsibilities on the softball diamond."

A top fastpitch player in his own right, Kortmann is the third coach since the program’s inception in 1982 and its winningest with over 500 triumphs. Kortmann directed LIU to a dominant 2002 performance with a 21-1 conference record. He led the Blackbirds to a then-school-record 37 wins and an NEC Tournament crown in 2001.

In 1999, he guided the team to an NEC Tournament championship and the school’s first NCAA Regional appearance. They became the first women’s team in conference history to win an NCAA event by defeating Manhattan, 4-3, on the tournament’s second day.

In 1998, the Blackbirds won 33 games and qualified for the ECAC Regionals, while Kortmann gained his second NEC Coach of the Year honor along with garnering NFCA Mid-Atlantic Coaching Staff of the Year accolades with assistant coach Bill Gehrke.

The 1996 season enabled him to win his first of seven NEC Coach of the Year awards. He guided his young team to a 10-6 conference mark and to a successful run in the NEC Tournament that nearly earned the Blackbirds a league title.

LIU teams have been among the top hitting and fielding squads in the NEC. Kortmann maintains a hands-on approach with all facets of his team.

Elevated to full-time status in 1998, Kortmann also serves as business manager for the athletic department, handling the day-to-day operations of department budgets. He was also a member of the LIU Fiscal Integrity Committee.

From 1999-2000, Kortmann was the NFCA Division I All-American Committee Mid-Atlantic Region chair and part of the selection process of Division I All-Americans in Oklahoma at the College World Series. He also was a member of the NEC Sports Committee for softball. Kortmann has served as the NEC representative on the NFCA Head Coaches Committee since 2009.

Kortmann is a former member of the NCAA Softball Championship Committee, responsible for the selection and seeding of teams that qualify for the NCAA Tournament and the College World Series. In 2004, Kortmann chaired the NCAA Championship Committee on Selection for the College World Series. He chaired the NCAA Format Committee and the East Region Advisory Committee. He was also on the NFCA/USA Today Top 25 Ranking Committee and currently represents the NEC on the NFCA Head Coaches Committee.

Kortmann received a Bachelor of Science degree in management from Rider University in 1980 and an MBA from Lehigh University in 1982.

He resides in Manalapan, N.J., with his wife Monica and their four children: Fallon, Conor, Kerrie and Shannon.

 

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