Washington softball head coach Heather Tarr steps down from USA Softball
Washington softball head coach Heather Tarr steps down from USA Softball
For almost three decades, Heather Tarr and the Washington Huskies softball team have become synonymous. Whether it be as a player or a coach, softball on Montlake has had her stamp on it.
Tarr started her career at Washington in 1994, where she was named an All-Pac-10 honorable mention three times. Now heading into season No. 20 as the Huskies' head coach, she holds an 820-313-1 record, highlighted by a 51–12 season in 2009 that culminated in a Women's College World Series victory, the only national championship in the program's history.
The Husky lifer has also been on the coaching staff for Team USA since 2019, where she worked as an assistant in 2019 and 2020 before returning as the national team's head coach in 2022. On Thursday, the winningest coach in school history made a bold choice, announcing that she would step down from her position with USA Softball to focus solely on Washington.
2025 will be a big challenge from Tarr, who saw 12 players depart at the end of the 2024 season, four who graduated, and eight for the transfer portal, including most of her starting lineup from 2024 and her entire pitching staff, highlighted by All-American Ruby Meylan, who signed with Oklahoma State.
But, Tarr has an eye for talent and has rebuilt. Not only did she bring in another former Husky and two-time NFCA All-Amercian Jenn Salling as an assistant coach, but she also added promising outfielder Ava Carroll from the junior college ranks, and local infielder Riley Pesheck, one of the top infielders available in the transfer portal.
She also bolstered her pitching staff with former top recruit Stevie Hansen from Oregon, Sophia Ramuno, an All-Big West Player at Cal Poly, and Madi Balk from Florida State.
While she admitted there may be some growing pains early in 2025, things are heading in the right direction for Tarr and the Huskies ahead of their first season in the Big Ten. Her team is set to take the field for the first time in the Candrea Classic in Tuscon, Arizona on February 7, where they'll take on the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 17 Arizona Wildcats.
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