SEASON OUTLOOK Head Coach Heather Tarr Third Season Alma Mater: Washington (1998) EXPERIENCE HISTORY NCAAs OPPONENTS REVIEW COACHES PLAYERS 32 Heather Tarr begins her third season at the helm of the Husky Softball team. In her first two seasons, Tarr led Washington to the Super Regional and top-15 national rankings. This season, Tarr hopes the Dawgs can get over the hump and advance to the program s eighth Women s College World Series and first since 2004. Last season, Washington swept through the Provo Regional as a No. 1 seed with tournament MVP Danielle Lawrie not allowing a run in three starts. The Huskies advanced to the Austin Super Regional where they fell to Cat Osterman s Texas Longhorns to just miss out on the WCWS berth. Junior second baseman Dominique Lastrapes and sophomore utility Ashley Charters each earned third team All-America honors and five players received All-Pac-10 honors. Washington finished the season with a 35-25 overall record and a No. 15 national ranking. The Huskies tallied 11 wins over opponents ranked in the top-25, including victories over No. 1 UCLA, No. 5 Oregon State and No. 5 Stanford. In Tarr s first season with Washington, she led Washington to the Super Regional where the Huskies fell one game short of advancing to the program s eighth College World Series. The Huskies season came to an end when they lost a three-game series to eventual national champion Michigan in Ann Arbor and finished the year with a No. 14 national ranking. Seven Huskies earned All-Pac-10 honors, including Kristen Rivera, who was named Co- Pac-10 Player of the Year. Rivera also became the Huskies first-ever four-time All-American, earning first team honors as a catcher. Three Washington players earned All-Pacific Region honors and three were named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team for their successes in the classroom. Washington finished the season with a 35-22 record and finished sixth in the Pac-10 Conference with a 10-11 mark after four teams log-jamed in a tie for first place with 13-8 records. The Huskies tallied 13 wins over opponents ranked in the top-25, including victories over No. 1 Michigan, No. 3 California and No. 4 Stanford. Heather Tarr has taken the Huskies to the NCAA Super Regional in each of her first two season as Washington s head coach. The Tarr File Personal Birthplace: Redmond, Wash. Birth date: Oct. 5, 1974 Education High School: Redmond (WA) High College: Washington (B.A. Geography, 1998) Pacific (M. Education, 2003) Playing Experience College: Washington (1994-97) Professional: Tampa Bay Fire Stix (1997) Coaching Experience 2005-cur. Washington 2004 Pacific (Associate Head Coach) 1999-03 Pacific (Assistant) 1998 Washington (Volunteer Assistant) Miscellaneous 2006-07 Pac-10 representative on the All-America Selection Committee
Before taking over the Washington program, Tarr spent a sixyear stint at Pacific as an assistant coach and then associate head coach. Tarr s previous coaching experience includes six seasons with the Pacific softball program. She was promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach in April of 2004. During that time, the Tigers posted a 232-124 (.652) overall record and 90-44 (.672) mark in the Big West Conference. In 2004 Tarr guided the Tigers to a top-20 national batting average. In 2001, she and Pacific head coach Brian Kolze were named the 2001 NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year after guiding the Tigers to within one win of the Women s College World Series and a No. 18 final national ranking. That team also finished the season with a.973 fielding percentage, ranking second-best in the country. Tarr joined Pacific prior to the 1999 season after an outstanding career as a Husky. As a four-year letterwinner, Tarr helped lead UW to a second place finish at the Women s College World Series in 1996 and a third place finish in 1997. She earned various honors while playing softball at Washington. A three-year member of the Pac-10 All-Academic team from 1994-97, she was named to the Pac-10 All-Conference team from 1995-97 and the NFCA All-West Region team in 1996 and 1997. Tarr also worked at Washington as an undergraduate assistant coach during the 1998 season, helping the Huskies to a thirdplace finish at the 1998 Women s College World Series. In addition to collegiate experience, Tarr brings experience from the professional level as she spent the summer of 1997 as a member of the Women s Professional Fastpitch Softball League s Tampa Bay Fire Stix. She was the league leader in fielding percentage for first basemen and also led the league in walks. Tarr earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geography from Washington in 1998. She completed her Masters Degree in Education at Pacific in the fall of 2003. Tarr, 32, is a native of Redmond, Wash., and is a graduate of Redmond High School. The Huskies have been ranked among the top-15 in the final NFCA top-25 national poll in both 2005 and 2006 under the guidance of head coach Heather Tarr. Tarr Year-By-Year Year School Record Conference Record Conference Finish Final NFCA Ranking Postseason Record Postseason Finish 2006 Washington 35-25 (.583) 6-15 (.285) 7th No. 15 3-2 Super Regional 2005 Washington 35-22 (.614) 10-11 (.476) 6th No. 14 4-2 Super Regional Totals 70-47 16-26 (.380) 7-4 (.636) SEASON OUTLOOK PLAYERS COACHES REVIEW OPPONENTS NCAAs HISTORY EXPERIENCE 33
SEASON OUTLOOK EXPERIENCE HISTORY NCAAs OPPONENTS REVIEW COACHES PLAYERS 34 Assistant Eve Gaw Third Season Alma Mater: Washington (1998) Eve Gaw begins her third season as Washington s pitching coach and the pitching staffs have had record-breaking seasons in each of their first two years. Last season, Gaw groomed the one-two punch of Danielle Lawrie and Caitlin Noble into the best strikeout duo in program history. The pair broke the school record with 598 combined strikeouts, marking just the second-ever 500-plus strikeout season for the Huskies. The two also held opponents to a.195 batting average and.288 slugging percentage, both the lowest totals in six seasons. Lawrie proved to be a force to be reckoned during her rookie season as she broke four UW strikeout records. Lawrie fanned 397 batters, becoming just the second pitcher in Washington history to surpass the 300 strikeout mark. She also averaged 10.51 strikeouts per game, also a UW record. Lawrie set school records for strikeouts in a single game, both in a regulation length game and extra inning game. She fanned 19 batters vs. UCLA in 12 innings on April 22 and equalled the total in seven innings vs. Arizona State on April 28. Lawrie, a Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week, carried the Huskies through the postseason, notching three shutouts at the Provo Regional to earn Most Outstanding Player honors and lead Washington to its second consecutive Super Regional. In 2005, Ashley Boek and Noble pitched Washington to within one victory of the College World Series. Boek was named the Regional Most Outstanding Player after posting a 3-0 record with 32 strikeouts in 23.1 innings, while holding her opponents to a.130 batting average. Boek broke the school record for strikeouts in an extra-inning game after fanning 18 batters in an 11-inning game vs. Creighton in the NCAA Regional opener. Noble also set a UW strikeout record, fanning 16 batters in six innings vs. Willamette to surpass Gaw s record of 15 strikeouts set in 1995. Boek and Noble each tossed a no-hitter and Noble set the Washington single-season record with 9.85 strikeouts per game. Gaw comes to Washington from Florida State, where she spent two years as the assistant coach in charge of pitching. She tutored the Seminole pitching staff that had the nation s best ERA in 2004, and the fourth best mark in 2003. Under Gaw s tutelage, pitchers Jessica van der Linden and Casey Hunter both earned Easton All-American honors in 2004, finishing with the nation s second and third lowest individual ERAs, respectively. Van der Linden also received the Honda Award for softball and USA Softball National Player of the Year award, becoming the first woman ever to win both accolades. The Seminoles posted a 106-23 record in Gaw s two seasons at FSU and earned a trip to the 2004 Women s College World Series. Prior to her time at Florida State, Gaw spent seven years at Washington, both as a player and a volunteer assistant coach. Gaw, who had a career record of 69-17 as a Husky pitcher, played in three Women s College World Series while at Washington, helping the Huskies to third-place WCWS finishes in 1997 and 1998, and a secondplace finish in 1996. A four-time All-Pac-10 selection, she earned third team All-America honors in 1998. Gaw finished the 1995 season with 27 wins, tied for fourth most in Husky history, recorded 12 shutouts, good for second most, and was named the Husky softball rookie of the year. Although Gaw didn t begin hitting until midway through her junior season, she is still sixth in the Husky record books in career slugging percentage (.554) and ninth in career on-base percentage (.410). As a senior, Gaw led the Huskies in batting average (.345), RBIs (37) and home runs (8) while playing first base. She did not abandon the circle, however, going 7-1 with a 1.50 ERA. After the season she was named the Husky player of the year. Gaw served as a volunteer assistant coach at Washington from 1998-2000. She worked with the UW pitching staff and also evaluated players on video along with other office responsibilities. Tarr, who also served as a volunteer assistant at Washington in 1998, played alongside Gaw from 1994-1997. Gaw, 31, received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1998 from Washington, where she was a member of the Dean s List.
Assistant Geoff Hirai Second Season Alma Mater: Hawaii-Hilo (1998) Geoff Hirai begins his second season with the Washington Huskies. A Redmond native, Hirai returned to the Northwest in 2005 after stints as a college coach, major league scout and more recently, owner and instructor at the All-Star Dugout in Mission Viejo, Calif. Last season, Hirai oversaw the Husky infield and under his guidance, Washington raised its fielding percentage to.971 from.961 the year before. The Huskies also made strides in its bunt defense giving up just 36 sacrifice hits compared to 52 in 2006. Geoff brings a passion for coaching and a tremendous amount of knowledge, said head coach Heather Tarr. Being a former baseball player, Geoff has been able to easily convert the knowledge he has for the game into the game of fastpitch softball. Geoff is very detail oriented in all that he does and he expects a lot from our players and demands perfection. I have known Geoff as a coach for many years. He knows what it takes to compete at the highest level. He has already had a significant impact on the University of Washington softball program. Hirai and Tarr were classmates at Redmond High School and played together on the local all-star baseball team when they were 10 years old. Hirai comes to UW after working as owner, instructor and coach at the All-Star Dugout. Hirai has coached the 18-under travel team for the last four years and has provided individual instruction to athletes pursuing careers in the collegiate and professional baseball ranks. Prior to becoming the owner of the All-Star Dugout, Hirai was an associate scout with the Cincinnati Reds baseball organization from 2001-03. In this capacity, Hirai was responsible for evaluating players that may be draft worthy. Before working for the Reds, Hirai spent one year as a teacher at Waiakea High School in Hilo, Hawaii. Hirai taught U.S. History, Humanities and Consumer Education. Hirai joined Waiakea High School after a successful baseball career at Hawaii-Hilo where he was a four-year letterwinner. Hirai graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and was an assistant coach for two seasons at Hawaii-Hilo while working to obtain his teaching certificate in Secondary Education. SEASON OUTLOOK PLAYERS COACHES REVIEW OPPONENTS NCAAs HISTORY EXPERIENCE 35
Support Staff/ Dawgs On Deck SEASON OUTLOOK EXPERIENCE HISTORY NCAAs OPPONENTS REVIEW COACHES PLAYERS 36 Karen Baebler Asst. Athletic Director Sports Operations Richard Mulcahy Academic Coordinator Kim Durand Assoc. Athletic Director Student Development Jason Phillips Strength & Conditioning Coach Dawgs On Deck Advisory Board Members Sherry Eischen Administrative Assistant Michelle Thiry Volunteer Assistant Coach Alidene Doherty chair, Marlin Binger, Willy Renaud, Steve and Joanne Allen, Matthew Winberry, Madison Doherty, Heather Tarr, Eve Gaw, Geoff Hirai, Michelle Thiry, Brandi Gordon, PH Remlinger. Dawgs On Deck Pitcher s Circle Members Pitchers Circle members are donors that give annual gifts of $1,000 or more directly to softball. Membership Includes (as of 1/06): Thomas Allen, Marlin Binger, Craig Clark, Wayne and Anne Gittinger, Thomas J. Haley, Alden and Beverly Harris, Dan Hyatt, Corrine Hyatt, Patricia Hyatt, Robert Miller, John O Meara, Mel Person, Willy Renaud, John and Gail Sosnowy, Douglas Whitworth, Matthew Winberry, William Jolley and Tom McFarlan. Established in 1999, the Dawgs on Deck team support group provides the support necessary for the softball program to continue competing for the national championship. Gifts to Husky softball help offset the costs of pre-conference travel to competitive tournaments, assistant coaches salaries and expenses related to hosting a fall tournament. For more information on Dawgs on Deck or donating to the Pitchers Circle, please call Cathy Ellis in the Tyee/Development Office at (206) 543-2234. Katie Green Certified Athletic Trainer Misty Tucci Athletic Communications Brandi Gordon Video Operations Kyle Washburn Audio Technician Gary McGuire Equipment Manager Amy Wilson Athletic Marketing Washington Softball Sponsors The University of Washington would like to thank the following sponsors for their ongoing support of Husky Softball.