Jill Batcheller was named the head coach of the women’s lacrosse team on June 26, 2021. Batcheller previously spent three seasons as head coach at Drexel University and six seasons at Bryant University.
Batcheller led the Wildcats to one of the best seasons in program history during 2025, earning the squad its first ever BIG EAST title game berth and the best league regular season finish ever as the second seed for the conference tournament. A league-high eight Wildcats were named All-BIG EAST with Emma Verhoest selected to the All-Region Team. Batcheller and her staff oversaw the breaking of two major program records during the year as Sydney Pappas eclipsed the all-time goals mark and Sami Carey picked up the all-time assists crown.
2024 saw the 'Cats pick up a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament after beating Marquette on the final day of the regular season to finish at .500 in league play and earn the fourth seed. Batcheller coached Mary Moore to a Freshman of the Year accolade while four other VU players were named All-BIG EAST and 13 earned IWLCA academic honors.
In year two at the helm of VU, Batcheller led the Wildcats to a 12-6 record and 4-3 in the BIG EAST. The ‘Cats took wins over BIG EAST rivals Butler, Georgetown, and Xavier twice. During that 2023 season, Batcheller coached Pappas to the 2023 BIG EAST Co-Attacker of the Year. Pappas played a key role for the Wildcats all season earning IWLCA Co-Offensive Player of the Week, IWLCA All-Region, BIG EAST Attacker of the Week honors and BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll honors.
Batcheller also helped Caroline Curnal land a spot on the 2023 Senior All-Star Games South Team roster, the first Wildcat in the game since 2016, after scoring 41 goals and adding eight assists for 49 points for the season. Curnal earned Inside Lacrosse Third Team All-America, BIG EAST Attacker of the Week honors as well as IWLCA All-Region Honors. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, 11 ‘Cats earned Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (ILWCA) academic awards.
In her first season at Villanova, Batcheller led the Wildcats to a 5-11 record and 1-4 in the BIG EAST in 2022. The ‘Cats took wins over George Washington, La Salle, Lafayette, UC Davis, and BIG EAST rival Butler.
Batcheller coached Curnal to an impressive senior season. The Ridgefield, Connecticut native earned a handful of 2022 BIG EAST Weekly Honors along with being named to the IWLCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team, Inside Lacrosse Media All-America Team and PhillySIDA Academic All-Area Team.
Four Wildcats earned 2022 All-BIG EAST Honors. Curnal and Addie Fischer were named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and Libby McKenna and Caroline Phelps were named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
While coaching the Dragons, she posted a 24-15 overall record in three seasons. After two seasons of rebuilding, Batcheller led Drexel to a 13-3 overall mark, a berth in the CAA championship game, an at large bid to the NCAA Tournament and the program’s first-ever top-10 national ranking. The 2021 season marked the first-ever appearance in both the conference title game and the NCAA Tournament for Drexel.
For her efforts during the 2021 season Batcheller became the first Drexel women's lacrosse coach to earn CAA Coach of the Year honors. She was also instrumental in helping garner CAA Player of the Year distinction and CAA Goalkeeper of the Year accolades. A total of nine dragons earned All-CAA honors for their on-field performances in 2021. In addition, a Dragon was named to the IWLCA All-American second and third teams becoming the first Drexel players to claim All-America honors in the same year.
Prior to her stint at Drexel, Batcheller spent six years as the head coach at Bryant University from 2013-18 where she led the Bulldogs to three NEC conference championships, five straight NEC regular season titles from 2014-18 and an overall record of 77-33 (.600).
She began her coaching career at Saint Joseph's University as an assistant from 2008-09 before moving on to Brown University as the top assistant from 2010-12.
Batcheller is a 2007 graduate of Syracuse University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Management and was a four-year starting midfielder for the Orange. She became the eighth player in school history to reach 100 career points, leading the program to its BIG EAST championship in 2007. Batcheller went on to receive a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Saint Joseph's in 2009.
A native of the Philadelphia area, Batcheller and her husband, Tom, reside in Broomall, Pa. with their four children. Batcheller played high school lacrosse at Archbishop Carroll High School in Radnor, Pa.
