EASTON, Pa. – Lafayette head softball coach Kelliner Croushore added Bella Ayala, a 2024 Fordham graduate, to her staff on Friday. Ayala will serve as the Leopards' assistant coach after spending a season with Saint Francis as a graduate assistant.

"I am very excited about Bella joining our staff," Croushore said. "Her background, along with her energy and dedication to building student-athletes will be a great asset to our program."

Ayala spent four seasons playing for the Rams, where she made 132 appearances (112 starts) as an infielder. She hit .249 with 43 runs scored, 45 RBIs, 14 doubles and seven home runs. The Roseville, Calif. native had a fielding percentage of .931 in her career.
 
She was named to the Atlantic-10 Conference All-Rookie Team, honored as a 2024 NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete and selected to the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll twice.

During her career, Fordham went 112-89-1 overall and 58-31 in conference games. The Rams were A-10 Champions in 2022 after defeating George Washington, the No. 1 seed, twice in the conference tournament. The Rams then advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regionals and drew No. 7-overall seeded Oklahoma State.

Ayala earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Accounting and pursued a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Sports Management at Saint Francis.

Croushore initially was hired as an assistant coach in July of 2024 before assuming the interim head coach title the night before the Leopards' spring practices were set to get underway. She coached the Maroon and White throughout the 2025 campaign before being named the program's permanent head coach on May 16.
 

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