CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Following a national search, Lesley University Director of Athletic Dan Campagna has announced the appointment of Lou Proietti as Head Coach of the Lesley Softball program effective February 24, 2025. In addition to his coaching role, Proietti will also serve as the Game Day Manager for the Athletic Department.
"Coach Lou's background in collegiate athletics will empower him to hit the ground running this spring with the Lynx," said Campagna. "During the interview process, Coach highlighted the importance of team building and player development sharing that his coaching style is focused on understanding each player's motivations, strengths, and improvement areas. This approach will help him transition quickly at Lesley while building the foundation for the next chapter of Lynx Softball."
Proietti comes to the Lynx after consulting as the Director of Operations for the Softball program at Oakland University. In this role, Proietti helped cultivate a roster of 23 players for the upcoming 2025 campaign including eight first-year players. The Golden Grizzlies were tabbed fifth in the 2025 Under Armour Horizon League Preseason Poll finishing with 48 votes following a runner-up finish in the 2024 regular-season with a 17-6 conference and 25-19 overall record.
"I am extremely excited and thankful for the chance to coach the Softball team and to join the Lesley community," said Proietti. "I want to thank Vice President Tom Englehardt and Athletic Director Dan Campagna for the tremendous opportunity and can't wait to work with all of the talented members of the Athletic Department as well as the students, faculty and administrators on campus."
In addition, Proietti has served as a private hitting coach for over 10 years working with individuals of all ages ranging from youth players to professionals.
"The future is very bright at Lesley University and it's an honor to be able to make a positive impact both on and off the field," said Proietti. "I'd also like to thank my family and friends who have showed unwavering support throughout my career."
Prior to transitioning to the Softball world, Proietti coached collegiate baseball. He served as the Head Coach at Saint Peter's University for three seasons overseeing all aspects of the program including recruiting, staff and player development, logistics, academic standards, and player retention.
Before joining the Peacocks, Proietti served as the Associate Head Coach at Stonehill College as the programs Hitting Coach, Recruiting Coordinator and Infield/Outfield Coach. With the Skyhawks, he oversaw scouting reports, analyzing statistics using Blast Motion Technology and spray charts.
His first coaching stint at the collegiate ranks came as an Assistant Coach at Rider University where he was the Hitting and Outfield Coach. He was a member of the MAAC Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2013 and 2015 and helped the Broncos set the single-season program record for wins in 2013 with 35 and a pair of conference championships.
As a collegiate player, Proietti excelled at each of his stops. He played his final two seasons at UMass Amherst, playing in and starting 78 games at shortstop and collecting 94 hits while batting a team-best .329 his junior campaign. Before UMass, Proietti played at Saint Peter's before transferring to Potomac State College in Keyser, West Virginia. He helped Potomac State advance to the Junior College World Series, where the team finished 5th nationally.
The Hamilton, Ontario native graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and went on to receive his master's degree from the university. Proietti also earned a master's in Organizational Leadership from Rider University.
About Lesley University
Lesley University is a proud member of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) and proudly graduates more mental health professionals and specialized education teachers than any other college or university in New England.
Located just outside Boston and spanning from Porter Square to Harvard Square in the vibrant city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lesley extends the NAC into one of the most dynamic learning environments in the country.
Lesley is renowned for its unique portfolio of programs focused on Education, Mental Health and Well-Being, and Art and Design. The university also offers Business and Liberal Arts programs that support these key disciplines and a special program, the Threshold Program, for neurodiverse individuals to learn on-campus or be supported in independent living and working. More than half of Lesley's student population of 4,500 are graduate students.
Celebrating over 25 years of excellence, the North Atlantic Conference was founded in 1997 as the North Atlantic Women's Conference (NAWC) to provide opportunities for female student athletes to compete in postseason tournaments. The NAC added men's sports and was renamed the North Atlantic Conference in 1999. The NAC currently sponsors 18 men's and women's championships as members of NCAA Division III, including baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's outdoor track & field, and women's volleyball.