New Hofstra softball coach, an ex-NYPD captain, taking program to great heights

It’s a take-no-prisoners mentality for former NYPD captain and new Hofstra softball coach Susan Cassidy-Lyke.

The devout Catholic, who had a priest bless her new office, is a godsend to the program, which is enjoying an 18-3 conference record — 26-19 overall — in her first season.

“Starting in the early fall, we talked about accountability,” Cassidy-Lyke told The Post.

“If you’re going to ask me, ‘What do you think I need to do to get better?’ I always kick it back and ask, ‘What do you think you need to do?’ ”

The former Brooklyn-based officer carries over decades of athletic experience from coaching Holy Trinity High School to four state titles, later switching gears to coach volleyball at LIU, then returning to the diamond as Molloy University’s longtime coach and athletic director.

But it’s experiences off the field, and on the job, that helped shape the 9/11 responder’s successful coaching philosophy.

She emphasizes character development and the bigger picture over wins and losses.

“I watched the second plane go in,” she said of the terror attack on the World Trade Center.

“I’ve had a totally different outlook on things since that. … There’s more to everything. I push that off on the kids. You can’t get crazy about one little thing, there’s so many more important things to worry about.”

Cassidy-Lyke (inset) said the Pride have been incredibly responsive to working hard and going deeper than the game. She’s taken them to do homeless outreach in New York City and has the team writing Valentine’s Day cards to elderly nuns on Long Island.

“A lot of them wanted to do it,” said Cassidy-Lyke, adding that the team even pitched to their coach new ideas about community service.

The mantra of going above and beyond has been a hit with Hofstra softball, which is enjoying a banner year in a newly furnished stadium.

“It was easier for us to demand more from them,” Cassidy-Lyke said.

“They really have, honestly, responded perfectly.”