Softball: The House that Tarr Built

The House

ThatTarr Built

Construction on the new indoor softball facility is in full swing

BY MIKE KORD FOR GOHUSKIES MAGAZINE

ebruary 2021 will long be remembered as a special time for the University of Washington softball program. Not only did All-American pitcher Gabbie Plain throw the second F perfect game of her UW career, the construction of the program’s leading-edge softball performance center began as well. cameras will be installed throughout the center, allowing hitters to

You could call it the House That Tarr Built. evaluate their mechanics with their coaches’ input. A sound system

Of course, Heather Tarr is the renowned head coach of the will pump out music while pitching machines pump out softballs. The Washington softball team. Tarr led the Huskies to the Women’s College lighting will meet the standard for broadcast stadium lighting. World Series championship in 2009. That moment was the highlight “The building of the Dempsey Indoor Facility (2001) was monumental, of Tarr’s tenure at UW, a 17-season stretch that includes nearly 700 providing the team an indoor facility to practice rain or shine,” Tarr said victories, seven trips to the WCWS, and four straight top-four finishes. in a press release. However, Dempsey Indoor is a facility shared with

The 2021 campaign figures to carry the winning legacy into the future. the football, baseball, and men’s and women’s soccer teams, which It won’t be easy. It never has been. The Pac-12 is loaded with national limits the time players can work on their game. Once completed, players title contenders each season. In addition to Washington, UCLA, Arizona, will be able to take batting practice anytime they want. Oregon and Arizona State have been ranked in the top 10 in 2021. More offseason reps equal more postseason hits. “This is just as big

The 5,500-square-foot complex adjacent to the Husky Softball for our program,” Tarr continued. “It’s a game changer. It took a lot to get Stadium certainly won’t hurt UW’s appeal among the nation’s top to this point as a program and the donors that contributed are the ones recruits. “Heather was very specific in what she was looking for,” said who made this happen, along with the support of (athletic director) Jen Chip Lydum, an Associate Director of Athletics, Operations and Capital Cohen and the administration.” Projects. “She had complete input.” Slated to open around Labor Day, Although the softball program and its facilities are among the the donor-funded, ADA-compliant project will come in at $5.25 million. nation’s best, there is one commodity lacking: consistently dry weather.

The center is a Pacific Northwest ballplayer’s dream come true. It Of the teams in the USA Today/NFCA preseason top 25 poll, 20 were includes hitting tunnels with automatic nets that will serve up to five from warm, dry climates. Of the 23 players on the current UW roster, 14 different hitters at any one time. The nets can be raised, creating are from similar climes. enough space for infielders to work on their fundamentals on a short-pile AstroTurf surface, which more closely simulates a dirt infield. Several Softball Head Coach Heather Tarr

Continued on page 29

To win at the highest level, recruiting top players is a requirement. The—shall we say—character-building nature of outdoor practice on a rainy January day hasn’t always been a huge selling point.

The natural beauty of the UW campus, however, has been. Those aesthetics were included in the blueprint.

More than 40 trees in or near the construction zone will be untouched or planted nearby. Another 25 or so new trees will be planted as well.

“This state-of-the-art facility is a testament to Coach Tarr and all the former players for the incredible program they have built and demonstrates our commitment to softball at the highest level at the UW,” Cohen said in a press release. “This group is so deserving of this updated space as they train to continue to be a national power. The student-athlete experience is greatly benefited by our loyal donors and their generosity on this project will leave a lasting impact on all current and future Huskies. We are so appreciative of their support and we can’t wait to get our softball team in this new facility soon.”

Heather Tarr, Tyee Club member Anne Gittinger, Director of Athletics Jen Cohen and Deputy Athletics Director Erin O'Connell

“This state-of-the-art facility is a testament to Coach Tarr and all the former players for the incredible program they have built and demonstrates our commitment to softball at the highest level at the UW”