Southern New Hampshire University

Deb Robitaille was named head coach of the SNHU softball program on May 31, 2005, and since then, has steadily built the Penmen into one of the top programs in the region.  Robitaille spent six years as an assistant coach at SNHU before being promoted to head coach.

Coach Robitaille has garnered Northeast-10 Coach of the Year honors four times (2006, 2007, 2013, 2015).  Over her tenure as head coach the Penmen have made 18 Northeast-10 Tournament appearances and earned seven NCAA berths, including the 2025 season.  SNHU has recorded at least a .500 conference season in 19 of Coach Robitaille's 21 seasons through 2025.

On March 28, 2026, Robitaille earned her 500th career win in the first game of a doubleheader against Pace University in a 3-1 win.  Her 400th career win came on March 26, 2022, also against Pace. She earned her 300th career win on May 2, 2017 in the Northeast 10 tournament against Assumption, her 200th on April 19, 2014 against Bentley, and her 100th during a doubleheader sweep of Franklin Pierce on April 21, 2010.

SNHU finished up the 2025 season with a 26-19 record, and an NCAA berth for the first time since 2019.  Outfielder Peyton Feldman has earned back-to-back NE10 First Team honors, and Abby Lineman was also named First Team last season after being named Third Team in 2024, which SNHU won 25 games.   Jordyn Resetar also made First Team after hitting .360 with 19 doubles, a triple, and four homers.

2024 saw the Penmen just miss an NCAA berth after an excruciating 3-2, 13-innings loss in the NE10 tournament second round against Southern Connecticut State.  Mackenzie Bruggeman led the squad with eight homers nad 33 RBI's while Feldman recorded a .381 batting average.

In 2023, Leine McKechnie had a terrific season in the circle with 10 wins and six saves as the Penmen went 20-22.  McKechnie struck out 98 hitters in 142 innings.

SNHU finished up the 2022 season with a 23-20-1 record, earning a bye in the Northeast-10 tournament.  The Penmen defeated Southern Connecticut 1-0 before falling to eventual NCAA East Super Region Champ Adelphi 2-0 in the semifinals.  SNHU went 7-1-1 over the final eight games of the regular season to finish with a 14-9-1 record in the Northeast-10.  Three players earned NE10 recognition including Bryn Garczynski, who was named to the second team.  Bryn is the younger sister of now SNHU assistant coach Erin Garczynski.

In 2021, the Penmen played an abbreviated conference schedule, finishing with a 13-13 record.  Despite a young roster with limited experience due to the pandemic, SNHU wound up with a 12-12 conference mark, advancing to the NE10 Divisional semifinals.  Jackie Gavin hit .362 in her final season with the Penmen.  Chloe Griffin hit .344 while also leading the pitching staff with an 8-4 record and a 2.97 ERA.   Gavin and Griffin were both named Northeast-10 first-team all-conference.

The 2020 squad opened the season in Florida and compiled a 5-5 record before the pandemic forced a premature end to the season.  

In 2019, SNHU matched the most wins in program history.  The 38-15 record included a 22-game winning streak between March 13-April 12.  The Penmen rose to as high as #13 in the NFCA Division II softball poll.  Two SNHU players were honored as first-team all-conference, including Player of the Year Erin Garczynski.   Garczynski hit .419 on the season and concluded her career at the top of many of the program's offensive categories including hits (239), doubles (43), and RBI (138).  Junior pitcher Maddy Barone was also named first-team after compiling a 20-7 record with a 1.25 ERA.  The Penmen advanced to the NCAA Division II softball tournament for the fifth time in six years and won a pair of games of Georgian Court in the regional.

The 2018 SNHU team won a program-best 38 games, advancing to the Northeast-10 semifinals and the NCAA Northeast Regionals. Senior Sarah Lavallee was named to the D2CCA All-East Region Second Team, the third time in four seasons she was named All-East Region by the D2CCA.  She finished her career with the most home runs in program history (39).   The 2018 season opened with 13 consecutive wins, including a sweep of the six games played in Myrtle Beach, S.C. 

In 2017, the Penmen returned to the Northeast-10 tournament and won a pair of games over Assumption and Pace before falling in the semi-finals in nine innings at Merrimack 2-1.  The 27-20 record marked the sixth consecutive winning season for SNHU and Coach Robitaille. 

In 2016, the Penmen made their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II East Super Regional after a 29-15 campaign. Southern New Hampshire captured its fourth-straight Northeast Division title and advanced to the Northeast-10 Conference Championship final for the third year in a row. The Penmen toppled Le Moyne College in the NCAA East 1 Regional before falling to Adelphi University in the Super Regional.

In 2015, Southern New Hampshire once again reached unprecedented heights.  The Penmen finished 35-9 overall, a program record for victories, and won its second straight Northeast-10 tournament title and third straight NE-10 Northeast Division regular-season crown.  Southern New Hampshire also advanced to the NCAA super regional for the first time.  SNHU earned its highest-ever national ranking (No. 15) and senior Ali Maloof was named a Daktronics First Team All-American, the first in the history of the program.

The 2014 season saw SNHU go  31-15 and capturing its first NE-10 tournament title in addition to its second straight NE-10 Northeast Division regular-season crown.  Making the second NCAA appearance in program history, the Penmen battled eventual regional champion LIU Post to extra innings twice before finally succumbing 7-6 in 13 innings to be eliminated.

In 2013 SNHU won a then-program record 29 games, going 29-15, while capturing the NE-10 Northeast Division title and earning the right to host the Northeast-10 Conference tournament.

Robitaille is a 1984 graduate of Manchester Memorial High School where she was a member of the girl's soccer team and collected first-team All-State honors as a senior. She also participated in the Lion's Cup All-Star game following her senior year.

The UNH at Manchester graduate served as girl's junior varsity soccer coach at Memorial High School from 1986 to 1995, before being named head girl's soccer coach at Concord High School in 1996. She spent three years at Concord and also served as goalkeeping coach at Keene State College during her final season with the Crimson Tide.

Robitaille also served as assistant women's soccer coach at the University for 15 seasons (1999-2013), helping guide the Penmen to a pair of NCAA berths.

Robitaille has also coached in the Manchester South Junior Soccer League and the U14 Granite State Travel League.