Ashwaubenon softball coach Shannon VanLaanen steps down after 11 years, 207 wins (2024)

Shannon VanLaanen didn’t spend much time talking about all the success he enjoyed during his 11 years with the Ashwaubenon softball team after stepping down as its coach Wednesday night.

That's not exactly a shocker.

It never has been about wins for VanLaanen, although he did a lot of that in leading the Jaguars to a 207-67 record and two Fox River Classic Conference championships.

The conversation always is about the kids he coached, the support he received from parents, the assistant coaches who helped him and the two mentors he learned from in former Ashwaubenon boys basketball coach Jeff VandeLoo and VanLaanen’s wife, Nicky, who is the former Ashwaubenon girls basketball coach.

“That’s not my ‘why’ for coaching,” VanLaanen said about his .756 winning percentage or the seven 20-win seasons. “It never has been. It’s not simply to win 20 games. In my opinion, as far as how my wife and I built programs over the years, that’s not why we did it. It’s more about helping kids, putting them in positions to be successful and get places in life.”

VanLaanen has been a head varsity coach for a combined 17 years at Ashwaubenon, which includes a 2020 season that was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic. He previously was the baseball coach for six seasons before stepping down in 2012.

VanLaanen has given plenty of time to his alma mater since graduating from Ashwaubenon in 1992, including serving as the freshman girls basketball coach when Nicky was running the program and as a freshman boys basketball coach under both Paul Deacon and VandeLoo.

He is coming off a notable softball season in which the Jaguars won a program-record 27 games, went undefeated in league play and advanced to a sectional championship before losing to powerhouse Kaukauna, which at the time was working on a 108-game winning streak that finally ended with a semifinal loss at state earlier this month.

VanLaanen is walking away from a loaded Ashwaubenon team that will return six all-conference players next season, including star pitcher and FRCC co-player of the year Berritt Herr.

So, why leave now?

“When you make decisions like this, it’s never one thing,” said VanLaanen, who is a regional president at Vizance. “There are just many things that came together that told me now was the right time to step down. I wouldn’t point to just one specific thing. There are many different things that made now the right time.

“You are going to look at it and go, ‘Boy, they were 27-2 last year and you have got 11 seniors coming back.’ It has nothing to do with that.”

Shannon VanLaanen makes mark in coaching

Baseball was VanLaanen’s first love. He played the game at St. Norbert College in the 1990s and started his coaching career after graduating as an assistant with the Green Knights.

He enjoyed what he was doing so much that he didn’t even apply for the Ashwaubenon baseball opening in 2006, but former athletic director Dave Steavpack called and told him he believed it would be a great fit. He asked VanLaanen to come in and discuss the job.

Steavpack was persistent enough that after a few meetings, VanLaanen found himself in a new coaching role.

He went 90-65 during his tenure, leading the Jaguars to sectional play four times and winning one FRCC championship.

VanLaanen would have said years ago his preference was to coach baseball. He only started coaching softball because his daughters were coming up in the system and he didn't want to sacrifice so many life moments.

“I bled baseball all my life, that has just been my passion and it always was,” VanLaanen said. “It’s all I ever did. It’s all I ever wanted to do. And then I made the decision on the family side of things I was missing too many softball tournaments and things because I had other responsibilities.”

It turned out coaching softball was fun, too.

VanLaanen joined the team as an assistant under Jim Van Laanen, who also built an impressive résumé at Ashwaubenon.

Van Laanen went 203-54 in 11 seasons with the Jaguars and led the team to the WIAA Division 1 state championship in 2006.

When he stepped down after the 2013 season, VanLaanen took over as the leader of the program and maintained the excellence.

“He truly continued to build a program that is successful and make it something special for everyone,” said Herr, who committed to play at the University of Wisconsin before her junior season. “All of us girls grew up with this program and seeing him coach and eventually having him coach us. So, he has done more for us than we could have asked for. Some of us have been playing under his coaching since we were freshmen, and he has watched each of us grow even from middle school to now.

“We honestly can't thank him enough. He is one of the kindest, most genuine and unselfish people and coach you will meet. He puts his heart into everything he does, and now he can really see all his dedication and love that he has put into the program.”

Herr’s 2025 class has thrived under VanLaanen and his staff, which includes going a combined 48-11 the last two seasons and ending this season ranked No. 4 in the state.

“I know we wouldn't be the players or people we are today without him, and the program will definitely miss him, but we know that he will come around to still watch,” Herr said. “He has made a normal softball program so special and feel like a home we can always come to, which isn't easy to do. The girls in my class can't wait to represent Ashwaubenon one more time and play for him and his program.”

Finding a new Ashwaubenon softball coach

Ashwaubenon softball has enjoyed a dominating run of coaches and assistants since the team was formed in 1977 and played its first game a year later, from Van Laanen and VanLaanen to the legendary Phil Adam and trusty pitching coach guru Larry Abts.

When VanLaanen was growing up, he was used to baseball and softball teams having one or two coaches and a football team with only a few more.

But then he watched former Ashwaubenon football coach Ken Golomski hire several people for his staff while giving them ownership of their roles.

“I learned that from him,” VanLaanen said. “He really changed the way a lot of high school sports were done in the area.”

VanLaanen followed that model when he took over his own programs. He always had several assistants on staff in baseball and softball, some of whom have been with him for nine years or longer.

He wanted an outfield coach. An infield coach. A hitting coach. A pitching coach.

VanLaanen never would say he’s accomplished what he has without all that help.

“I’m proud of the way we did that, and hope we provided good opportunities for the men and women to reach their potential,” VanLaanen said.

Ashwaubenon AD Nick Senger has a big task to find the next great softball coach for the Jaguars.

He is aware of everything he must replace with the loss of VanLaanen.

“He was able to develop that rapport with kids early,” Senger said. “Get the most out of them. He has had some talented kids, and then maximizing their potential by developing a good staff and being a good communicator to them. Making sure that their No. 1 goal was to be a good team, and then the results happened.

“Over 200 wins in the softball program. That is an incredible amount of wins.”