Lisa Jansen is one of several international standouts that helped the Northeast Mississippi Community College softball program develop a solid foundation during its first decade after the switch from slowpitch to fastpitch competition. 

 

Jansen came to the United States from the town of Dietzenbach, which is a suburb of Frankfurt in the German state of Hesse. She instantly made an impact for head coach Jody Long's Tigers with her powerful left arm. 

 

She obtained first-team all-conference distinction as a freshman with a 10-8 mark in the circle. Jansen had a team-best 122 strikeouts in 113.2 innings of work with a 4.37 earned run average (ERA). 

 

One of her top performances that season came in the opener of a doubleheader sweep over rival Itawamba Community College. She scattered seven hits while striking out 13 batters in a complete game effort. 

 

Jansen's numbers improved significantly during her second campaign at Northeast. Her ERA dropped to 3.02 while giving up 30 fewer hits and 16 less earned runs in 14 more innings of action. 

 

The 196 strikeouts that she threw that year ranked ninth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and was second best in the league. That still stands as the second most punch outs in a single season in program history. 

 

She went 13-6 in 29 appearances during the Tigers' run to the 2008 Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) North Division championship. Jansen received NJCAA All-Region 23 and all-conference honors for her role in Northeast's seventh all-time divisional title. 

 

Her 318 strikeouts are the second most ever over a career at Northeast. Jansen's other cumulative statistics while with the Tigers include a 23-14, 241.1 innings and a 3.66 ERA in 62 outings. 

 

Jansen not only remained in America after graduating from Northeast. She stayed inside the borders of the Magnolia State by signing a scholarship to continue playing softball at Mississippi Valley State University. 

 

The move paid dividends for Jansen. She was selected as both the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Newcomer and Pitcher of the Year after leading the Devilettes to their best season in school history. 

 

Jansen lifted Mississippi Valley State to the 2009 SWAC Tournament crown and a trip to the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. She was the pitcher of record in a thrilling 1-0 decision over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which was the Devilettes' first NCAA Tournament win in five years. 

 

She also garnered Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Southeast Region first-team recognition after helping Mississippi Valley State compile a 38-16 ledger. Jansen paced all SWAC hurlers during the regular season with 117 strikeouts and 12 victories. 

 

The Devilettes repeated as SWAC Eastern Division champions during Jansen's senior campaign. She was once again named to the All-SWAC first-team after accumulating a league-best 14 wins, 144 punch outs and a .213 batting average by her opponents. 

 

Jansen still owns the Devilettes' record for most shutouts in a season with eight as a junior. She was a two-time recipient of Mississippi Valley State's Female Athlete of the Year award. 

 

Jansen also represented her home country on its national team during the 2009 European Championships in Valencia, Spain. She tossed 13.2 innings over four games in that prestigious tournament with 10 strikeouts compared to five walks and a 3.59 ERA. 

 

She transitioned from athlete to coach as an assistant at Hampton (Va.) University and West Texas A&M University. Jansen guided the Buffs to the 2013 NCAA Division II South Central Regional as an at-large selection with a 44-13 overall record. 

 

Jansen continued her education and now holds four degrees, including most recently a doctorate from the University of Arkansas. She has completed postdoctoral research at Boston Children's Hospital.