Following her 10th season at the helm of the Kean University softball program, Head Coach Margie Acker has helped re-establish the Cougars competitively in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and across the region.

After posting back-to-back non-losing seasons in 2006 and 2007 for the first time since the early nineties, Acker guided the Cougars back to the NCAA Division III softball tournament for the first time as a head coach in 2008, as the Cougars posted just the third 30-win season in program history.  

Her 2007 team finished as Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Championship Runners-Up after going 24-15 during the year. 

The Cougars have been just as successful off the diamond, most recently posting the 22nd highest cumulative grade point average of the more than 400 NCAA Division III schools that sponsor softball.  The Kean softball program has been ranked in each of the last three years, with a total of eight players earning academic recognition from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes.  In the last four seasons, two players have also earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honors for their success in the classroom and on the field.

A former outfielder and catcher for then Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey), Acker brings an impressive personal background to the dugout.  A 1992 NCAA Division III All-American outfielder for the Lions, Trenton State won 48-of-50 games and the 1992 NCAA Division III National Championship her senior season.  Also a New Jersey Athletic Conference first-team all-star, Acker batted .438 and stole 21 bases in 25 attempts that season. 

As a junior, she batted .425 and committed just one error in 31 games before having to miss the NCAA Tournament after suffering a broken arm late in the season. In addition to being an accomplished outfielder, Acker also spent time as the Lions catcher, helping lead her team to a 92-9 overall record in her two seasons in a Lions' uniform.

Following her playing career, Acker served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Rider University in 1997-98, helping guide the Broncs to the Northeast Conference Championship and a spot in the NCAA Regional Tournament.

Prior to taking over the head coaching duties at Kean, she served as an assistant coach at Muhlenberg College in 1998-99. In her one season with the Pennsylvania school, the Mules finished second in the Centennial Conference and runners-up in the ECAC Tournament.

Acker earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education with an emphasis in corporate fitness from Trenton State College in 1993.

Entering her fourth season on the coaching staff, Deanna Thomas is a familiar face with the Kean University Department of Athletics as a two-sport standout during her undergraduate days.

A four-year letterwinner in softball and field hockey, Thomas started 126 of 131 career games on the diamond as a catcher and outfielder.  In 2004, she earned New Jersey Athletic Conference honorable mention honors as a utility player to cap her career. 

The previous fall on the field hockey field, Thomas garnered STX/National Field Hockey Coaches' Association third-team all-america honors as a defender to become the first player in program history to earn all-american accolades.  The former school record holder in single season and career assists, she still ranks tied for second with 10 single season assists and is currently third with 21 career assists.

A health and physical education teacher at Carteret Middle School for the last four years, Thomas earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education and Health Teacher Certification from Kean in 2005. 

After being a fixture in the starting lineup for the last four seasons, Jesse Buchanan is now in her first season on the coaching staff. 

A 2007 New Jersey Athletic Conference all-star, Buchanan started all 168 games throughout her career, spending the first three seasons in the outfield before catching all 40 games a year ago as a senior. 

The switch hitter finished with 146 career hits, sixth in program history, while also scoring 79 times and driving in 54 runs.  Her 27 stolen bases also rank fifth in career program history.

An English major, Buchanan is a two-time honoree at Kean’s National Student-Athlete Day and was twice selected as a NJAC Honorable Mention Academic All-Star. 

Melanie Helterbran joins the staff in 2010 following a four-year career as a pitcher and designated player at Elon College.

A New Jersey native, Helterbran was named a 2008 Southern Conference second-team all-star after batting .359 with seven homeruns, 30 RBI and 30 runs scored as a junior.  Her seven homeruns remain tied for second in single-season Phoenix history, while her 17 homeruns rank fourth in program history.

Helterbran, who was teammates with fellow assistant coach Jesse Buchanan at Washington Township High School, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in human services in 2009.  She is pursuing her graduate degree in public administration with an emphasis in non-profit management at Kean University