Washington softball coach Heather Tarr, whose 704 coaching victories are the most in any sport in UW history, was named head coach for the 2022 USA Softball women’s national team on Monday.
Tarr, who has been an assistant coach for the national team since 2017, will continue to serve as the Huskies coach while coaching the national team.
“I am honored to be in charge, with an eager mindset of adding to the foundations laid by current and past USA Softball athletes and coaches,” Tarr said in a statement. “I feel prepared, inspired and compelled to take on this challenge. Being a part of the 2020 Olympic experience, I was able to witness women like Cat Osterman, Danielle Lawrie and Ukiko Ueno become the best at their craft. Because of my experiences, I am compelled to do more so that our women who compete for USA Softball have the opportunity to become the best in the world.”
Tarr will become the sixth woman coach of the national team, but the first since Margie Wright in 1988.
“To continue improving our sport, we need all hands on deck,” Tarr said in the statement. “We need to access the future through every resource we have. From the grassroots efforts at the youth and community levels, through RBI Breakthrough series and on into travel ball, we need alignment and support. For USA Softball to be the best team in the world, we need our NCAA programs and athletic directors to continue seeing the potential in this sport; we need continued funding from MLB; we need everyone’s cooperation.”
Tarr, who became Washington’s coach in 2005, has a record of 704-260-1. The Huskies have made the Women’s College World Series seven times during Tarr’s tenure, and in 2009 they won the program’s only national title.
The Huskies lost last season to eventual NCAA champion Oklahoma in a super regional.
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