2012 Coaching Staff

Jen Lane - Head Softball Coach

(860) 685-2436 - jslane@wesleyan.edu

      Jen Lane will be in her 11th season at the helm of the Wesleyan softball program in 2012. Also an assistant with the Wesleyan field hockey team, Jen is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Physical Education at Wesleyan.
     
      Jen led the Cardinals' softball team to a school-record 24 victories in 2010 after back-to-back 21-win seasons in 2007 and 2008 and back-to-back NESCAC West titles in 2008 and 2009. The Cardinals captured their first overall NESCAC crown and automatic berth in the NCAA tournament in 2010.  For that effort, Jen was named NESCAC Coach of the Year.  During the 2008 season, the Cardinals won the NESCAC West title for the first time and earned the right to host the NESCAC championship where they finished as runners-up. Wesleyan repeated the effort in 2009 and finished second to Tufts once again.  The Cardinals also won their first Little Three title in 2008. School records have been falling consistently each year under Jen's tutelage.  For her team’s success in 2008, Jen received her first NESCAC honor as Co-Softball Coach of the Year.

     During the summer, Jen travels throughout New England, as well as to tournaments in Pennsylvania and Colorado, to assess high-school talent. Jen is the director of the Cardinal Softball School at Wesleyan and also instructs at other softball and field hockey camps in Connecticut. Since 2005, Jen has been involved with training for Middletown Little League Softball. She has run clinics for both players and coaches.  She has also gotten the Wesleyan players involved in the youth program as well, serving as volunteer coaches during the various teams’ practices. Jen attends the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s annual convention and has achieved the level of 2-star Master Coach through the National Fastpitch Coaches College. Jen is the treasurer of the New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) and serves on various committees for that organization.  She is also a member of the NCAA Division III New England Region Softball Committee.  This is the second time she has served on the committee, as her first term was from 2006-08.
     Before coming to Wesleyan in the summer of 2001, Jen coached at her alma mater, NESCAC and Little Three rival Amherst College, while earning her Master's degree in exercise and sports studies at Smith College. In 1999, she was an assistant with the Lord Jeffs' softball team before moving into a co-head coach position for 2000 and 2001. She was an assistant with the field hockey program at Amherst as well for two years, including the 1999 season when the Lord Jeffs were the NCAA Division III national runners-up. During her undergraduate years at Amherst, Jen captained both the softball (1997 & 1998) and field hockey (1997) teams. As a pitcher, Jen helped lead the Lord Jeffs to a #16 finish in the country her senior year and was named to the New England Regional All-Tournament Team. A sweeper in field hockey, Jen played in the Division III North-South All-Star game in 1997.
     Originally from Hatfield, Mass., Jen was a four-year, three-sport (field hockey, basketball & softball) varsity standout at Smith Academy.
     Jen is married to Jimmy Lane, Jr. They have a daughter, Julia, and a son, Andrew.

Elisa VanKirk - Assistant Coach

    Elisa Van Kirk is in her first season as an assistant for the Cardinals.  Prior to joining the Wesleyan Staff, Elisa played Division I softball at The George Washington University.  While at GW, Elisa ranked 4th all-time in walks and 5th all-time in homeruns.  She was twice named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and three times to the GWU Athletic Department Honor Roll.  Elisa is an experienced coach and clinician who works with hitters and catchers.  Elisa is currently finishing her Master's degree in Exercise and Sports Studies at Smith College, where she was an assistant coach in 2011.

Michelle Caouette - Assistant Coach

Michelle Caouette joins the Cardinal softball staff for the first time in 2012.  She is a 2006 graduate of the University of Connecticut where she earned a B.S. in kinesiology with a focus in coaching and ddministration. In her four years as a pitcher at UConn, she compiled five no-hitters, Big East honorable-mention honors, and was an academic all-star for two years. Michelle also was a team co-captain her senior year. From 2007 to 2009, Michelle was an assistant coach at Springfield College, where she helped lead the Pride to two NEWMAC championships and had a major impact on the pitching staff. Michelle is currently finishing her thesis toward her Masters in Education. As of late, Michelle has been utilizing her extensive pitching knowledge as a clinician and coach for pitchers ages 8-17 at Fastpitch Nation in Bloomfield, Conn.