MINNEAPOLIS – Melissa Lee, an Augsburg University Athletic Hall of Famer who has led her alma mater's softball team for the past eight seasons, is resigning from her coaching position to focus on her administrative responsibilities in the athletic department, the university announced on Friday.
Current assistant coach Laura Heise, who has been on the Augsburg staff as a full-time assistant coach since 2019, will take over head coaching duties for the Auggie softball program. Heise has been involved with the Augsburg softball program for 10 years during two stints – as a part-time pitching coach from 2008-11 and as a full-time assistant coach from 2019 to 2024. She also serves the athletic department as the women's athletic equipment supervisor, and on the concessions and athletic merchandise staff.
Lee, who also serves as an instructor in Augsburg's health and physical education department, will remain as an Associate Athletic Director at Augsburg, in charge of the department's home event operations. Lee is responsible for planning and execution of Auggie home athletic events, supervising student and adult event employees, coordinating facility usage for events and working with opponents, officials and security during Auggie games. She also serves as the athletic department's Senior Woman Administrator.
"I'm grateful I've had the opportunity to coach at my alma mater for so many amazing years, as both an assistant and head coach," Lee said. "I look forward to taking on a bigger administrative role and helping lead Auggie athletics to even greater heights. The softball program is in great hands with coach Heise, and I'm excited to support the team's continued success."
A 2004 Augsburg alumnae, Lee joined the Auggie softball coaching staff in 2005, serving for 12 seasons as an assistant coach under head coaches Carol Enke and Tim Gormley. Lee took over the head coaching position in 2017 and compiled a 125-152 record in her eight seasons, with 20-plus-win campaigns four times. Lee's Auggies finished 26-14 overall and 11-11 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play in 2024, tying the school's single-season record for overall victories (26-10 in 1983).
Inducted into Augsburg's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022, Lee started all 141 games of her softball career, developing a reputation as one of the best third basemen in school history. Playing in every one of the 964 innings in her college career, Lee earned All-MIAC honors her senior year, all-conference honorable mention honors twice, and NFCA All-Midwest Region honors her sophomore season. She hit .296 in her career with 50 runs scored, 40 RBI and 26 extra-base hits. She was stellar on defense, finishing with a school-record 367 career assists and a .962 career fielding percentage. Lee also played basketball for two seasons as an Auggie.
A native of Randolph, Minn., Lee earned her bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Augsburg in 2004, and earned her master's degree in organizational management (sports management emphasis) from Concordia University-St. Paul in 2009. She earned Academic All-MIAC honors and NFCA Scholar-Athlete honors three times each. She was named Augsburg's Senior Honor Athlete in 2004, the highest honor the university gives to senior student-athletes for athletic and academic excellence.
In addition to her coaching at Augsburg, Heise has also served as an assistant coach at Division II Concordia-St. Paul and Wayzata (Minn.) High School. Heise has been the head coach of the Minnesota Magic softball club since 2017, and has been a hitting/pitching clinician for several youth programs. She also served as an assistant coach with the Macalester College program for one season.
"I am extremely honored to be named the next head coach of Augsburg softball," Heise said. "I would like to thank (Athletic Director) Jeff Swenson for having the confidence in me to lead these student-athletes and to continue to build this program. I also would like to thank Mel Lee for having the faith in me to lead this program and these student-athletes and for her commitment to Augsburg softball for the past 20 years. I am excited to guide Augsburg softball in this new chapter, and will look to use last season as a springboard for future success."
Heise played collegiately as a pitcher at the College of St. Scholastica (2003-06), earning All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference honors all four years, each season being named UMAC Player of the Year. She earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association NAIA All-Region honors three times, and was named the NAIA Regional Player of the Year in 2004. She earned NAIA All-American first-team and NFCA NAIA All-America second-team honors in 2004, and was named an NFCA NCAA Division III All-American first-team honoree in 2006. She was inducted into the St. Scholastica Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Heise led the Saints in batting average all four years of her career, ending with school records for batting average (.456), home runs (30), on-base percentage (.533) and hits (217). She drove in 151 runs, had 48 doubles, a .750 slugging percentage and 76 walks. In the pitching circle, Heise holds CSS school records with a 95-21 career record, an .819 winning percentage, 732.1 innings pitched, a 0.61 earned-run average, 107 starts, 90 complete games, 46 shutouts, six saves a .137 opponent batting average, and 1,125 strikeouts. Her 7.98 strikeout-to-walk ratio (1,125 strikeouts to 141 walks) is also a school record. She threw 10 career no-hitters and had streaks of 64.2 scoreless innings and 27 consecutive hitless innings in 2004.
Her 0.61 career ERA is fifth-best in NCAA Division III softball history, with her 1,125 strikeouts 11th-most and her 10.75 strikeout ratio 12th-best. Her 46 career shutouts are tied for 11th-most, and her 95 career wins are tied for 18th-most. Her 337 strikeouts in 2004 and 317 strikeouts in 2006 both led all NCAA Division III pitchers nationally.
Heise earned her bachelor's degree in exercise physiology from St. Scholastica in 2006, and spent five years working as a special education paraprofessional at Wayzata High School.
