Coach News: USA Softball Makes It Official… Heather Tarr New Head Coach of the 2022 Women’s National Team

The following release was sent earlier today by USA Softball…

USA Softball, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, is proud to announce that Heather Tarr (Redmond, Washington/Washington Softball Head Coach) has been selected as the Head Coach for the 2022 USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT).

Selected by members of the USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Committee (WNTSC), Tarr will lead the Red, White and Blue at the 2022 World Games in addition to various international competitions throughout the year.

A historic selection for the USA Softball National Teams program, Tarr will be the sixth female Head Coach at the helm of the WNT following Rosalie Sorenson (1970), Marge Ricker (1982), Carol Spanks (1987), Shirley Topley (1991) and Margie Wright (1998).

“We are honored to have Coach Tarr leading our Women’s National Team for the 2022 season,” said USA Softball Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Craig Cress.

“Since being involved as a Head Coach for the Junior Women’s National Team and Assistant Coach for the Women’s National Team, Coach Tarr has played a key role in continuing the legacy of USA Softball while shaping and developing the program throughout the last few years.”

“We believe she brings top-notch skills, knowledge and experience as our next Head Coach after being a part of our U.S. Olympic Softball Team’s silver medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics. We look forward to watching Coach Tarr and the Women’s National Team represent Team USA next summer.”

Tarr joined the USA Softball program as an Assistant Coach for the WNT and helped guide the 2017 roster to a Gold Medal finish at the Pan American Championship in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Returning to the coaching staff in 2018, Tarr once again had a Gold Medal season with the WNT who stood atop the podium at the WBSC World Championship. In 2019, Tarr served as the Head Coach for a history-making U-19 WNT that earned a Bronze Medal at the USA Softball International Cup, the first for a JWNT program, and a Gold Medal finish at the WBSC U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup.

Most recently, Tarr served as an Assistant Coach for the 2020-21 U.S. Olympic Softball Team, helping Team USA to a silver medal finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“I look forward to the opportunity to help the United States build toward its future and am honored to be charged with an eager mindset of adding to the foundations laid by current and past USA Softball athletes and coaches,” said Tarr.

“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.”

“To continue improving our sport, we need all hands-on deck,” she added. “We need to access the future through every resource we have. From the grass roots 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. I am committed to building the necessary relationships so that players stay in this game and believe they can become the best in the world at their sport, but more important, the best at what they do on the best team in the world.”

As a player, Tarr was a four-year letter-winner at Washington. A part of Washington’s first team to reach the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS), Tarr helped the Huskies earn a runner-up finish in 1996 and a third-place finish in 1997. In her four years, Tarr earned three Pac-12 All-Academic merits and was named First-Team All-Pac-12 three times.

As a coach, Tarr was named the Head Coach of the Huskies in 2005 and has gone on to become the most winningest coach of any sport in Washington history. In addition to guiding the Huskies to a National Championship in 2009 – the program’s first – Tarr has guided 24 All-Americans, including two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie.

“Not only is Heather Tarr a well-deserved person to be the next Head Coach for the USA Softball Women’s National Team, but it’s an historic choice for Team USA,” said 2020-21 Women’s National Team Head Coach, Ken Eriksen.

“There is no one better served to be the next female Head Coach of the Women’s National Team than Coach Tarr. Her relentless and tireless promotion of empowering woman is without dispute. Her unselfishness in the pursuit of perfection on the field is appreciated by professionals and her knowledge of the highest level of softball is undoubtedly up there with the best minds in the bat and ball game. Personally, I feel the committee has done an outstanding job in choosing our next Head Coach.”

“I have been in this sport for decades and have seen its iterations, successes and hard losses,” said Tarr. “I’m committed to creating a safe space for USA Softball to achieve elite excellence and to behold a pipeline of talent, opportunities and excellence, reflective of USA, every year in between the Olympics and to win on the global stage.”