Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University Athletics
Freeman Athletic Center 161 Cross Street Middletown, CT 06459

Division 3 Connecticut Northeast

Private Small Developing team

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Coaches

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Jen Lane

Jen Lane enters her 23rd season as the head coach of the softball team at Wesleyan in 2024. She also previously served as an assistant coach for the Cardinals’ field hockey program, and is currently an adjunct professor of physical education at the institution.

Lane, a two-time NESCAC Coach of the Year (2008, 2010), established a winning culture in 2007, as the group posted its first above-.500 season since 1995 with a 21-15 record and a 9-3 mark in the highly-competitive NESCAC West Division en-route to qualifying for the conference playoffs for the first time in program history.

The 2008 version of the Cardinals built off the positive momentum, under Lane’s superb leadership, as the team compiled 21 wins for the second straight year, and finished 10-2 in the NESCAC. The group captured the school’s first-ever NESCAC West title, while finishing as the runner-up during the NESCAC Championship in Middletown, Conn.

Lane has led the Cardinals to a pair of Little Three titles in 2008 and 2013, as her unit claimed the NESCAC West title again in 2009, and then earned the program’s first-ever NESCAC Championship in 2010, qualifying for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in school history. The 2010 team finished with 24 victories, which is tied for the most in program history. From 2007-10, Wesleyan recorded a total of 83 victories, and compiled a 36-12 record in the NESCAC.

Lane led Wesleyan to a 24-12 season in 2013, as the squad reached its fifth NESCAC Tournament with a 7-5 conference mark, and then the Cardinals posted another winning season in 2016 with a 21-14 overall record.

During the summer, Lane travels throughout New England, and other parts of the country, assessing high school talent. She is the director of the Cardinal Softball School at Wesleyan and co-director of the Northeast Collegiate Softball Academy at Babson College. She also works at various other softball camps around the country.

Since 2005, she has been involved with training for Middletown Little League Softball. She has run clinics for both players and coaches, while getting Wesleyan student-athletes involved in the youth program, serving as volunteer coaches during practices. Lane attends the annual convention for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, and has achieved the level of Two-Star Master Coach through the NFCA.

Lane has twice been a member of the NCAA Division III New England Region Softball Committee. She served on that committee from 2006-08 and again from 2012-14.

At Wesleyan, Lane is co-director of the Athletics Advantage program, which connects current Cardinal student-athletes with Wesleyan alumni to set up mentorships. The program also sponsors different career workshops and panels throughout the school year.

Lane also organizes Wesleyan's annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic, which is a free multi-sport clinic for area elementary-aged girls.

Before coming to Wesleyan in the summer of 2001, Lane 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 Amherst softball team before moving into a co-head coach position in 2000 and 2001. She was an assistant with the field hockey program at Amherst for two years as well, including the 1999 season when the Purple and White finished as the NCAA Division III runner-up.

During her undergraduate years at Amherst, Lane captained both the softball (1997, 1998) and field hockey (1997) teams. As a pitcher, she helped lead the Purple and White to a No. 16 finish in the country her senior year, and was named to the New England Regional All-Tournament Team. A sweeper in field hockey, Lane played in the Division III North-South All-Star Game in 1997.

Originally from Hatfield, Mass., Lane was a four-year, three-sport (field hockey, basketball and softball) varsity standout at Smith Academy. She is married to Jimmy Lane, Jr. and the couples has four children: Julia, Andrew, and twins William and Olivia.

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Katy Hurley

Katy Hurley enters her second season as an assistant coach for the Wesleyan softball program in 2023-24. Hurley comes to Middletown from California as she recently graduated from Pomona-Pitzer College in 2022.

Hurley wrapped up a four-year career for the Sagehens, serving as team captain for her senior season. She was a four-year starter, playing third base and serving as the designated hitter throughout her career. In 2022, she was named All-SCIAC Second Team as she sported a .324 batting average while totaling 33 hits, eight doubles, two home runs and 23 RBI. Over her career, Hurley played in 75 games and logged a .344 average, .383 on-base percentage and .503 slugging percentage with 67 career hits.

Off the field, Hurley worked for the Keck science department in Claremont, California as a student research assistant. She worked under a professor investigating biophysical mechanisms specifically researching in vitro physiology with live muscle tissue.

From 2013-18, Hurley was a founding member of National Charity League. The organization’s mission was to foster mother-daughter relationships in a philanthropic manner committed to community service, leadership development and cultural experience. During her time in NCL, she held the jobs of social chair, corresponding secretary, leadership chair and president.

Hurley graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Pomona-Pitzer.

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Maddy DeRita

Maddy DeRita joins the Wesleyan softball program as an assistant coach for her first season in 2024. A local product out of Higganum, Conn., DeRita was a four-year starter for Le Moyne College in her undergraduate years from 2015-19.

DeRita is no stranger to Middletown, as she has served as a coach for Mercy High School's softball and field hockey teams since first arriving in 2020. Starting as an assistant coach for field hockey, DeRita was elevated to head coach in 2023, while she was an assistant softball coach at Mercy from 2020-23.

Outside of Mercy High School, DeRita has taken on head coaching duties for the Middletown Monarchs travel softball team since March 2021. With the Monarchs, she led, trained, and mentored young athletes, focusing on skill development, teamwork, and sportsmanship. She also is a private hitting instructor working out of Homefield in Centerbrook, Connecticut.

As a four-year letterwinner at Le Moyne, DeRita appeared in 167 games (145 starts) as an outfielder for the Dolphins. She finished her career with a .241 career batting average including 112 hits, 24 doubles, two home runs, and 44 RBI. She made just four errors in 153 career chances playing the outfield for Le Moyne. Her best season at the plate came as a senior in 2019 when she hit .254 in 40 games (all starts) with 15 runs, eight doubles, 10 RBI, and eight walks. She also captained the team in her senior year.

Maddy graduated from Le Moyne with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2019. She went on to earn her master's degree in 2020 from Syracuse in sport venue & event management. DeRita currently resides in Durham, Connecticut.