Niki Carillo was a May 2017 graduate of Saint Joseph’s University (SJU), Haub School of Business, with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Communications. Carillo was a four-year Pitcher for the Hawks (2014-2017). Carillo was the first SJU pitcher named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team and was also named to the Atlantic-10 All-Conference Team. She led the team in ERA and ranked second on the team in wins. Sidelined by what should have been a career ending injury, Carillo missed most of her sophomore and junior year. Through hard work and rehab, Carillo beat the odds and battled back to retake the mound in her senior year.
Carillo was a four-year starter at Wayne Valley High School. Carillo was named the 2013 WVHS Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and the 2013 All-Passaic County Female Scholar
Athlete of the Year Runner Up. She served as team captain all four years and earned the Blue & White Award for outstanding leadership and dedication to team and Coaches. Carillo earned First Team All-County, All-Conference, All-League, and Second Team All-State. She was named to the First Team All-Area by Radio 1500 AM after leading her team to the state sectional semifinals, county quarterfinals, and a #10 ranking in North Jersey Top-20. As a junior, Carillo threw three perfect games and five no-hitters, posting a 0.97 ERA. Carillo ranked in the top-10 in the state in home runs and posted a team best batting average (.583), slugging (.893) and on-base percentage (.848).
Carillo was the starting pitcher for the Colorado Fireworks All-Star Game (June 2012), a member of the Team East Rising Stars at the All-American Game (December 2012), and competed at the 2011 and 2012 Rising Stars All-Star Game. Carillo was a member of Team NJ at the 2011 and 2012 16U ASA Gold Nationals and a member of the NJ Pride Gold travel team.
After graduating, Carillo worked in Healthcare Marketing and Pharmaceutical Advertising. In 2019, Carillo became a health and fitness coach and mentor, and joined the Rowan University softball staff as an Assistant Coach, serving as the pitching coach for the 2019-2020 season. Carillo is a pitching instructor and coaches for the NJ Heist Softball organization.
