APRIL 2021
IN THIS ISSUE
From the Athletic Director’s Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Men’s Track: Sam Tanner sets record 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Gymnastics: 10 Questions with Amara Cunningham . . . . . . 13 Volleyball: Bump, Set, Spike! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Baseball: The Right Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Softball: The House that Tarr Built . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 The Shot: Senior Sensation Gabby Plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
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FROM THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S DESK VOLUME 14 / ISSUE 5 / APRIL 2021
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usky Nation, It’s hard to believe we are already just a few short months from wrapping up another academic year. In what has been an extremely challenging season, I could not be prouder of the way our students have handled everything that has been thrown their way the last 12 months. One of the things we often talk about is that athletics is built for difficult times – we welome adversity as a chance to grow and get better. We continue to make strides in our fight against COVID-19 and are feeling optimistic about the days ahead. We are currently working on plans for attendance for the Spring Game, which is slated for May 1. This will be a great step forward as we plan for next fall and welcoming you back to Husky Stadium — we have missed you all so much! As you know, attendance inside our venues is dictated by the State of Washington, so we will continue to follow their guidance and provide updates to you as we receive them. It has been a busy spring with the sports of volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s cross country all shifting their seasons to join our traditional spring sport programs the last few months. I’m so grateful all of our student-athletes have had the chance to compete this year; it really has been the silver lining as we have all had to deal with the unthinkable. We have embraced this time and have come out stronger in our commitment to serving our students, to working more collaboratively with each other and being grateful for the opportunity to do what we do. Two recent things that have occurred in our department that I wanted to highlight with you all. The first being, we have hired Tina Langley as our new head women’s basketball coach. Coach Langley joins us from Rice University where she experienced an incredible amount of success the last
Jennifer Cohen
six seasons. She is a perfect fit for our department and is deeply committed to the holistic development of her women. I can’t wait for her to meet you all in the near future. Secondly, a huge congratulations to head coach Keegan Cook and our volleyball program on winning the Pac-12 Championship — they have battled so much adversity this season and we are so proud of them. We are looking forward to rooting them on at the NCAA Tournament in Omaha. We have embraced this time and have come out stronger in our commitment to serving our students, to working more collaboratively with each other and being thankful for the opportunity to do what we do. We are so grateful for each and every one of you. Your steadfast support continues to provide life-changing opportunities for all 650 of our student-athletes. We are on the home stretch of our battle with the pandemic and we know that we are so close to being able to be back together again. I encourage you all to do your part so we can return to Husky Stadium in September and cheer on our beloved Huskies, together. Go Dawgs!
Brandon Forbis, Kate Hughes (206) 695-2562 brandon.forbis@ HuskiesSportsProperties.com DESIGN Robert Becker
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From the time he was little kid running Wednesday night races on grass tracks in the New Zealand coastal city of Tauranga, Sam Tanner dreamed of competing in the Olympics.
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Olympic Ticket Punched Sam Tanner
New Zealander sets new records setting UW and NCAA track ablaze
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BY MARK MOSCHETTI FOR GOHUSKIES MAGAZINE
bsolutely fizzing.” “Frothing.” “Buzzing.”
“Super over the moon.” On a mid-February evening in New York, Sam Tanner was spinning out adjectives with a Down Under accent as fast as he was spinning around the track. When the 20-year-old New Zealander, now in his second year competing for the Washington Huskies, hit the finish line at the end of his 1500-meter race in the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, the clock stopped at 3 minutes, 34.72 seconds. That beat the old indoor collegiate record of 3:35.46. It beat the collegiate outdoor record of 3:35.01. It beat the New Zealand indoor record of 3:35.80. Most important of all, it beat the automatic qualifying time of 3:35.00 for this summer's Tokyo Olympics. “Fizzing, frothing and buzzing” indeed. “I was just focused on the Olympic standard. I didn’t really think about the collegiate
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record at all until I got it, and then I thought, ‘Wow — that’s kind of cool,” Tanner said. Oliver Hoare of Australia won the race in 3:32.35, and Tanner was third. But the primary competition for Tanner, adorned in his purple Washington uniform, was the stopwatch — and while runners won’t always check the clock during a race, Tanner did sneak a peek. “I actually looked at it with about 100 meters to go,” he said. “I looked and I was trying to do some quick math, and I said, ‘Oh man! I’m really close to this time. I think I’m actually ahead of the 3:35 pace. All I have to do is hold it.’ “I got a bit excited,” he added, “and I think that actually helped me in the long run.” Continued on page 7 PAGE 5
Grass Tracks To Championship Venues From the time he was little kid running Wednesday night races on grass tracks in the New Zealand coastal city of Tauranga, Sam Tanner dreamed of competing in the Olympics. “My mom and dad put me in kids athletics, and it was really fun,” said Tanner, who was just as good at surfing as he was at running. “I just kind of started from there and found out I had a bit of (talent). I did a couple of races in cross country, and later on, I won a couple of national titles. My mom helped me out with training a little bit, I got coached toward the end of high school — and the rest is history.” Tanner started making his mark in the Oceania region. He was a junior national cross country champion, became the first New Zealand high school athlete to break four minutes in the mile when he ran 3:58.41 in March 2019, and placed 13th in the 1500 at the 2018 World U20 meet in Finland. Head coach Andy Powell, who came to Washington in June 2018, wanted his first recruiting class to be an impactful one. He was intrigued enough by Tanner that he went all the way to New Zealand for a visit. “I thought he could be one of the great runners at the UW and in the NCAA,” Powell said. “We have a donor who always spoke highly of New Zealand and the talent that comes out of there. I got to know Sam and his family. He ran a really good time the summer before he got here and I thought, ‘Wow, this kid is going to be really good. He’s got the right mindset, and he wants to be good.” Continued on page 8 GoHUSKIES
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“It was one of those feelings that is kind of hard to come by, and you only get those a few times in your life. “It was such an honor to get that time, and then look up and, my goodness — a (New Zealand) national record and a collegiate record at the same time was really cool.”
Fast Start At UW, Fast Finish In NY Powell’s instincts about Tanner were spot-on. During the 2020 winter season, he broke the UW freshman record for the indoor mile, going 3:59.01, the seventh-fastest overall time in school history. He posted the No. 2 all-time Husky mark in the 1000 meters with a 2:21.78. He never got an outdoor race in 2020, as the season was canceled by the coronavirus before Washington’s first meet. Tanner went home to New Zealand. “I just got to train and enjoy the rest of summer, then had a good winter time from May through about September or October,” he said. (New Zealand’s weather seasons are opposite those of the United States.) Tanner returned to Seattle on Jan. 31 and began final preparations for the New Balance meet and his shot at Olympic qualification. “We thought if there was a time to take a crack at it, it would be there. He would be able to get good competition,” Powell said. “The timing was right. We thought he would come close.” As the race inside Staten Island’s Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex got going, Tanner, with a split of 58.23 seconds, was seventh in the field of 12 at the 400-meter mark. He started to make his move. By 800 meters, Tanner was sixth, having split 57.39 for those two laps. His next two were even faster at 56.34, and now he was up to third place at 2:51.96 with 300 meters to go. To meet or beat the Olympic qualifying standard of 3:35.00, Tanner needed to split 43.04 or better around the final 1½ laps. He went 42.76. “A smile came to my face. I had pretty much just secured my spot in the Olympics, which was my childhood dream,” he said. “It was one of PAGE 8
those feelings that is kind of hard to come by, and you only get those a few times in your life. “It was such an honor to get that time, and then look up and, my goodness — a (New Zealand) national record and a collegiate record at the same time was really cool.” Back in Seattle, UW coach Powell and his team had finished their day in the UW Invitational at Dempsey Indoor five minutes before Tanner’s race. Powell rushed back to his office just in time to catch the start on television. “I timed it with my own watch, and I was pretty nervous watching it,” Powell said. “It was going to come down to a couple tenths of a second.” Continued on page 10 GoHUSKIES
A Student Of Racing
“I get to live my dream and I’m really happy with that. Those things keep me enjoying it and keep me wanting to add more.”
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With the ongoing pandemic, there’s still plenty of uncertainty about the Tokyo Olympics, which are scheduled to begin July 23. As of now, everything is ‘go.’ Ditto for the upcoming college outdoor season. For Tanner and Powell, the spring schedule will be about striking just the right balance between that and Olympic preparation. “I’m going to use the college season to get fit, get some fast times under me, and get some good race experience,” Tanner said. “Whatever comes through college, whether that be an NCAA title, the (awards) podium, or AllAmerican, I think all of those things would be helpful.” From his coaching perspective, Powell is looking at more than just results. “The college season just sets him up really well for the Olympics. It’s one of the things we’re realizing,” said Powell, who coached Matthew Centrowitz when both were at the University of Oregon, and Centrowitz later went on to win Olympic gold in the 1500 meters. “You take advantage of a lot of different scenarios to refine your skills. Then when you get to bigger meets, you’ll have a lot of knowledge about how to run different scenarios.” Tanner is ready to soak up that knowledge. It’s one of the things that make him run. “I still have dreams that I want to achieve. But also, I’m just running because I feel I’ve got a calling,” he said. “I feel God has called me to run and express the joy I get from running and share that with other people. I get to live my dream and I’m really happy with that. Those things keep me enjoying it and keep me wanting to add more.” Small wonder then — that Sam Tanner is still feeling “super over the moon.” GoHUSKIES
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10 QUESTIONS WITH... GYMNASTICS
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AMARA CUNNINGHAM
ach issue of GoHuskies, our staff has a conversation with an exciting and dynamic UW athlete. This issue we feature Husky Gymnast Amara Cunningham.
What has been your favorite place to visit in Seattle? “My favorite place in Seattle would have to be Kerry Park. It has an amazing view of the skyline and is never crowded, which is a big plus.” Why did you choose to come to UW? “I chose UW because it has the perfect balance of athletics and academics. I knew I would have an amazing athletic experience here as well as experience some of the best academics in the country.” Where is the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled to? “The most interesting and my favorite place I have traveled to has to be Aruba. The island has a population of just over 100,000, and yet has so much to do, explore, and eat.”
Who were your favorite gymnasts growing up? Please explain why. “My favorite gymnast growing up was Gabby Douglas. As a young kid, it was always awesome to watch a black gymnast dominate the sport and go on to win gold in the Olympics.” Can you talk about some of the experiences that have been opened up to you through gymnastics and how they have changed your life? “Injury is one of the biggest things that has changed my life and taught me so much while battling through them. Through my gymnastic career, I have dealt with two surgeries, and during those times, I realized that all it takes is hard work and dedication to get back to where you left off.”
What do you do in your free time? “In my free time, I like to explore the area around me. If that means I walk for 10 miles to go find a fun graffiti wall, then it looks like I’m walking 10 miles!” If you were to create a slogan for your life. what would it be? “As basic as this sounds my slogan would be, “Just do it”. When living my best life, I find that I don’t think much about what I am doing, and don’t think about the long-term effects of anything. I just like to enjoy what I am doing in that exact moment and soak it all in.” What are the things on your personal bucket list? “As random as it sounds, I really want to be a part of “The Nutcracker” some year. If that means that I have a role that lasts 10 seconds, then so be it! I’ve absolutely loved “The Nutcracker” since I was young, and the holiday spirit that comes with it.” Who or what is your biggest inspiration(s) in why you do gymnastics? Please explain. “My parents are my biggest inspirations. Both my mother and father were college athletes, so it was very important for me to carry on that tradition. They have also showed me that college athletics really teaches you time management as well as the payoff of hard work.” What do you love most about gymnastics? “One thing I love about gymnastics is that is gives me the ability to do what most people can’t do, and that is throw my body in the air and flip around, of course. This sport also has introduced me to lifelong friends that I have an amazing bond with.”
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BUMP SET UW Volleyball wins Pac-12 a sixth time! We are proud of the late breaking news that our Husky Volleyball team has won the conference championship for a sixth time and will be advancing to the NCAA Championships. For more information on the Pac-12 title win go to GoHuskies.com Sophie Summers • No. 22 Ella May Powell • No. 7
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ET SPIKE! HUSKY VOLLEYBALL TEAM
contending for titles in unfamiliar times
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BY MARK MOSCHETTI FOR GOHUSKIES MAGAZINE
hey practiced in pods. Didn’t start the normal fall schedule until winter. Wore masks outside the gym, on the practice court — even during matches. In a volleyball season full of adjustments, the nationally ranked Washington Huskies have made plenty of them. So too has head coach Keegan Cook. Matter of fact, he just might have made the biggest one of all when he adjusted his own outlook for what his team could accomplish. “We’re right back to being competitive again, and it feels familiar and strange at the same time,” Cook said as the Huskies in early March were preparing for the final month of the regular season. “There’s also such an intensity right now just because we’re in the hunt for a Pac-12 title, and that feels familiar even though we’re in the midst of a pandemic.“ “I thought I might have set the bar too low initially,” Cook added “I think there was an element of surprise, and then I pretty quickly adjusted my expectations for this group. “This group” won 11 of its first 14 matches, all of them in conference play since no non-conference matches were scheduled. It was the highest-ranked of five Pac-12 teams in the national top 25 as of March 8. “It’s nice to have the matches be meaningful — and even more meaningful this year to our group than in years past because you just know it can be taken from you at any moment,” Cook said. Added junior All-American setter Ella May Powell, for whom the January opener gave her enough time to recover from surgery to repair a meniscus tear that she suffered during the early stages of practice last September, “The way we started the season was different than before because it was just a lot more intense. We hadn’t been playing in a while, but once we got into a groove, everything has gotten a little bit easier and we’ve all adjusted to our crazy schedule. “We’re finally settled in and we’ve really felt like some normalcy in this craziness,” she added. Continued on page 16
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BUMP SET
SPIKE! “We obviously had a really successful season last year. But we felt we had some unfinished business — even though we did well, we wanted to go further and keep holding us to that standard,”
Ella May Powell • No. 7
L TO R: Ella May Powell • No. 7, Madi Endsley • No. 18 and Lauren Sanders • No. 1
HIGH CEILING, High Standards
At Washington, normalcy is a talentladen roster that competes for national championships. In 2019, the Huskies reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament before dropping a four-setter to No. 1-ranked Baylor on the Bears’ home court in Waco, Texas. That marked the end of a 27-7 season. It also was the career finale for four seniors. Among them were two-time All-American outside hitter Kara Bajema, whose 597 kills in 2019 was a single-season school record, and libero Shayne McPherson, who wound up No. 4 on the career digs list with 1,698, and set records for career sets played (495) and singleseason sets played (133). “We graduated a great senior class. But at the same time, we were returning a large core of our team, and a very talented team,” Cook said. “(Coming in), I thought that this team has a really high ceiling, and that’s what excited me.” Among that core is the middle blocker trio of senior Lauren Sanders, junior Marin Grote, and redshirt freshman Sophie Summers, all of whom were named to the 2020 U.S. Women’s Collegiate National Team Gold Roster. Just beyond the midpoint of the season, Sanders was leading the Huskies with 66 blocks, and Grote had logged 57. Also returning are senior outside hitter Samantha Dreschel and junior outside Claire Hoffman. Dreschel, an All Pac-12 and AllRegion honorable mention pick in 2019, and Hoffman, who was named to another of the U.S. CNT rosters, were both approaching 200 kills by the midseason point. Continued on page 19
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Setting them up is Powell. The four months of recovery and rehab from the meniscus repair is now behind her, and she likes what she sees in front for herself and the Huskies. “We obviously had a really successful season last year. But we felt we had some unfinished business — even though we did well, we wanted to go further and keep holding us to that standard,” Powell said. “Every team is different, and being able to learn our personnel and how we work well together has been really cool just to find our groove with new faces.”
FRONT TO BACK: Sophie Summers • No. 22 Ella May Powell • No. 7 Madi Endsley • No. 18
Going From Good TO GREAT The Huskies were still looking for that groove on the opening afternoon of the season. Coming in ranked No. 8 nationally, they were hit with a stunning 3-0 loss at home to Arizona State. Just 24 hours later, Washington turned it around and scored a four-set win against the Sun Devils. It subsequently went on to win early-season five-setters in two different road venues and swept a pair of home matches against highly-ranked Utah. With the most rugged part of the season still to come — finishing Pac-12 play, and then the NCAA Tournament — Cook believes the challenge for the Huskies is going from good to great. Bouncing back as the Huskies did from the loss to Arizona State has been part of that process. “In that moment, something really kicked in, and we realized that we can be good right now, and once we’re good, we can be great,” Cook said. “Since then, that has been the realization that it’s not a rebuilding year, it’s not just a year of growth. It’s a year once again to pursue really high performance — which is why all of the staff and players come to Washington. “Once the whistle blew, it was like, ‘Here we go again.’” GoHUSKIES
Lauren Sanders • No. 1 Samantha Drechsel • No. 9
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RIGHTSTA
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UW pitchers have great command, but old-school grit has team eyeing Omaha BY MIKE KORD FOR GOHUSKIES MAGAZINE
he sun is setting early on this late-winter night, casting a shadow over home plate and southward down the right field line. Just beyond the outfield wall, the water of Lake Washington is a bright blue, and glacier-clad Mount Rainier inspires awe in the background. By any standard, the scene at Husky Ballpark is stunning. Toeing the pitcher’s rubber in the fading sunlight is Logan Gerling, and he’s got his hands full. Crosstown rival Seattle University has just smoked back-to-back singles and a hard-hit lineout to right field, prompting a visit from catcher Michael Petrie. Early in this 2021 season, the Huskies are searching for a rhythm that will result in a deep postseason run. For the beat to last, however, it will come down to the pitching staff, a band of righties and lefties, local talent and recruits from afar. They throw hard, and then they throw you off with a sweeping slider away or a soft changeup in the dirt. Through 14 games, UW pitchers have a 2.26 ERA, good for ninth in the nation and second in the Pacific-12 Conference, and the team had an 8-6 record heading into conference play. Leading the staff are ace Jack Enger, who grew up just across Lake Washington and attended Bellevue High School, and Gerling, who came to UW via Gig Harbor High School and Tacoma Community College. Petrie, the veteran behind the dish, is a Mercer Island High School grad. All three grew up wanting to be Dawgs. In high school, Enger starred as both a pitcher and a quarterback for the storied Wolverines football team. His father, Kyle, was a member of the UW crew, and his grandpa, Joe Ryan, was a tackle on the 1964 Rose Bowl squad. “I think I’d be written out of the family will if I didn’t go to UW,” said Enger, a 6-foot-4, 225-pounder who majors in sociology with a minor in sales. Continued on page 22 PAGE 20
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TAFF Adam Bloebaum • Pitching Michael Petrie • Catching
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Jack Enger
Michael Petrie
Enger made just two relief appearances as a freshman in 2018, but established himself as a legitimate Pac-12 pitcher, going 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA as a sophomore. His ERA sat at a sparkling 1.88 when the 2020 season was shut down. So far in 2021, Enger is 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA. In 17 2/3 innings, he has 17 strikeouts. Opponents are hitting just .163 off him. “He’s just a pure competitor and he loves to grind and he loves every single moment out there on the mound,” Petrie said. “It’s really infectious for the rest of the team. There isn’t a person on the field who doesn’t love to play behind Jack Enger.” Hitters stepping into the batter’s box against UW are aware of one thing — they seldom know what pitch is coming. Enger, a former walkon, is the prototype. Like many, he throws a four-seam fastball — but his has a natural cut that explodes in on the hands of a left-handed hitter as high as the low-90s. “I don’t know where it comes from,” Enger said with a laugh. “I think it’s from all those years of football, being a quarterback and throwing the football like that.” Or he might “pitch backward,” which means throwing a changeup or slider early in the count. Commanding each of his pitches almost certainly will lead to being drafted in 2021. “Jack’s been great,” Huskies head coach Lindsay Meggs said. “His numbers are off the chart. But even more so, he’s been a great leader. He’s really had outstanding composure and makeup from the time he got here, and he’s learned a lot. And he really bought into what he has to do to get better.” For a pitcher to get comfortable throwing a variety of pitches, it’s helpful to get uncomfortable first. Credit Meggs and pitching coach Elliott Cribby for that. The coaches routinely put their pitchers in an array of uncomfortable situations during intrasquad games, such as changing the count or putting runners on base. Which is good, because Gerling finds himself in a pressure situation on this idyllic night in early March. Never mind the scenery — he needs a groundball to get out of the inning. But Gerling doesn’t have his best stuff. He knows it. Coach Meggs knows it. And Petrie, the fifth-year catcher, definitely knows it. Hence the visit. “Man, the one thing I truly admire about Petrie is even in tough situations, he always keeps it light with me,” Gerling says. “He just reminds me that we’re just playing a game, and if you aren’t having fun, then you’re not going to be able to succeed.” Five pitches later he induces that ground ball, which turns into a 6-43 double play. Gerling and Petrie jog back to the dugout. Terminology such as spin rate, arm slot and velo dominate the modern pitching conversation. But Gerling and his staff mates stand out for something additional: their old-school grit. “That’s what we love about Logan,” Meggs says. “Even when he doesn’t have his best stuff, he just wills his way through four or five innings. Continued on page 24
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Logan Gerling
Head Coach Lindsay Meggs
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Gerling would go four innings and allow one run in a 7-3 victory over Seattle U. He kept hitters off balance by mixing his speeds and hitting his spots with his fastball, curveball and newly developed changeup. “When I get the ball in my hand, I have a true belief that there is no one better on the field than myself,” the right-handed cinema media major said. After a successful high school career, Gerling was virtually ignored by Division I programs. He honed his game at Tacoma Community College, going 15-1 over two seasons before becoming a Husky. When the pandemic shut down the 2020 season, Gerling took advantage of the free time to develop his changeup. Through mid-March, prior to a threegame visit from the Southern Cal Trojans, the 6-0, 185-pound Gerling had recorded 18 strikeouts in 18 innings, for a 3.00 ERA and an opponents’ batting average of .250. “In my opinion Logan has the best changeup on the staff,” said Petrie, who recently graduated with a degree in communications and is currently working on a master’s in education and athletic leadership. “It’s really unique just because of the way it falls off the table and his ability to just throw it on any count. He’s constantly keeping hitters off balance with it.” The Huskies lost two key pitchers from last season: starter Stevie Emanuels, a fifth-round draft pick by Oakland, and reliever Leo Nierenberg, who signed a minor-league contract with Cincinnati. Two newcomers are left-handers Adam Bloebaum, a transfer from Pittsburgh, and Tyson Guerrero. Yes, that Tyson Guerrero. In 2019 Guerrero was a pitcher/outfielder for rival Washington State. He belted two home runs, including one against the Huskies. “I actually came in to catch when he got that pinch-hit home run,” Petrie recalled. “He put one up in the jet stream over in Pullman and it carried its way out. Yeah, we like to laugh about that old memory.” At 6-1 and 188 pounds, Guerrero uncoils every inch of his wiry frame and arguably throws harder than anyone else on the staff. In 6 1/3 innings, Guerrero gave up just one run, and opponents were hitting just .227. He was sidelined with a knee injury but is now healthy and ready to play in early- to mid-April. “Tyson has extremely lively stuff,” Petrie says. “His fastball just has a lot of life to it and then he also has a really good curveball. When he’s on, it’s virtually impossible to cover both pitches.” The 6-6, 225-pound Bloebaum was named to the ACC All-Academic team in 2020. “Honestly I thought he was a senior when I first saw him,” Petrie said. “Just the way he carries himself. He’s extremely mature for his age.” Success at the Division I level often requires command of three good pitches. Bloebaum has four: a four-seam fastball, sweeping curve, tight slider, and a good changeup. “He’s been getting better every single time I see him pitch,” Petrie said. “That’s been really fun to watch.” In 2018, the program experienced unprecedented success with a remarkable late-season run that culminated in an appearance at the College World Series in Omaha. For the Huskies, it only heightened their desire for a return trip. “That’s something we prepare for every day,” Enger said. GoHUSKIES
TOGETHER. WHEREVER WE ARE. From the university campus to your couch at home, the Boeing Apple Cup Series brings people across Washington together. We’re a proud sponsor of this great college tradition, and it’s part of our commitment to supporting the communities, across Washington, that our employees call home.
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The House That Tarr Built Construction on the new indoor softball facility is in full swing PAGE 26
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BY MIKE KORD FOR GOHUSKIES MAGAZINE
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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 perfect game of her UW career, the construction of the program’s leading-edge softball performance center began as well. You could call it the House That Tarr Built. Of course, Heather Tarr is the renowned head coach of the Washington softball team. Tarr led the Huskies to the Women’s College World Series championship in 2009. That moment was the highlight of Tarr’s tenure at UW, a 17-season stretch that includes nearly 700 victories, seven trips to the WCWS, and four straight top-four finishes. The 2021 campaign figures to carry the winning legacy into the future. It won’t be easy. It never has been. The Pac-12 is loaded with national title contenders each season. In addition to Washington, UCLA, Arizona, Oregon and Arizona State have been ranked in the top 10 in 2021. The 5,500-square-foot complex adjacent to the Husky Softball Stadium certainly won’t hurt UW’s appeal among the nation’s top recruits. “Heather was very specific in what she was looking for,” said Chip Lydum, an Associate Director of Athletics, Operations and Capital Projects. “She had complete input.” Slated to open around Labor Day, the donor-funded, ADA-compliant project will come in at $5.25 million. The center is a Pacific Northwest ballplayer’s dream come true. It includes hitting tunnels with automatic nets that will serve up to five different hitters at any one time. The nets can be raised, creating enough space for infielders to work on their fundamentals on a short-pile AstroTurf surface, which more closely simulates a dirt infield. Several
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Softball Head Coach Heather Tarr
cameras will be installed throughout the center, allowing hitters to evaluate their mechanics with their coaches’ input. A sound system will pump out music while pitching machines pump out softballs. The lighting will meet the standard for broadcast stadium lighting. “The building of the Dempsey Indoor Facility (2001) was monumental, providing the team an indoor facility to practice rain or shine,” Tarr said in a press release. However, Dempsey Indoor is a facility shared with the football, baseball, and men’s and women’s soccer teams, which limits the time players can work on their game. Once completed, players will be able to take batting practice anytime they want. More offseason reps equal more postseason hits. “This is just as big for our program,” Tarr continued. “It’s a game changer. It took a lot to get to this point as a program and the donors that contributed are the ones who made this happen, along with the support of (athletic director) Jen Cohen and the administration.” Although the softball program and its facilities are among the nation’s best, there is one commodity lacking: consistently dry weather. Of the teams in the USA Today/NFCA preseason top 25 poll, 20 were from warm, dry climates. Of the 23 players on the current UW roster, 14 are from similar climes. Continued on page 29
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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.”
GoHUSKIES
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”
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Photographs by RED BOX PICTURES
SENIOR SENSATION
Husky senior Gabbie Plain is locked in as she prepares to deliver a pitch in game two of the UW’s sweep of then-No. 7 Arizona at Husky Softball Stadium. Plain struck out 10 Wildcats to give the No.6-ranked Huskies the win. To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com
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