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Thanatharn selected as new UH softball head coach

Thanatharn selected as new UH softball head coach

Yahoo05-06-2025
The University of Hawai'i has ushered in a new era in Rainbow Wahine softball, naming Panita Thanatharn as its next head coach, the school announced Wednesday, four weeks after the conclusion of the 2025 season.
Thanatharn, a Long Beach State alumna, spent the past 14 seasons on staff with the 49ers, including the last nine as associate head coach. During her tenure, she helped lead LBSU to four Big West Conference championships and multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.
She now takes the reins from legendary head coach Bob Coolen, who retired after 34 seasons at UH. Coolen leaves behind a storied legacy that includes more than 1,100 career wins, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, and a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2010.
Among the finalists for the position was longtime UH assistant coach Dee Wisneski.
Key returnees for the 2026 season include standout players Milan Ah Yat and Carys Murakami, serving as a strong foundation as Thanatharn begins her tenure.
This story will be updated as more information and reaction.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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