Illini Softball Coach Perry Enjoying Success In First Season
Illinois softball coach Tyra Perry has guided her team to its first 30-win season since 2010. Jenny Horne/Illinois Public Media
First-year Illini Softball coach Tyra Perry has guided the team to its highest win total since 2010. Illinois Public Media's Jenny Horne has this profile of the new head coach.
Tyra Perry is the softball program's second-ever head coach, replacing Terri Sullivan in June 2015. She brought fifteen seasons of experience as an NCAA Division I head coach, winning 409 games in stops at Ball State, Western Kentucky, and Birmingham Southern.
Perry's dream wasn't always to be a softball coach, but she quickly learned that her passion was on the field, and not behind a desk.
"I kind of thought I might be an administrator, so I took an internship and was in stockings and heels and didn't love it," Perry said. "I needed to be outdoors and needed to coach, so I started looking for jobs."
Perry played college softball at two different schools in the 1990's, but she says she originally thought her playing career would be in a different sport.
"I played multiple sports in high school and always thought I'd play basketball in college," Perry said, "but was better at softball, so I decided to do that."
Perry began her playing career with two seasons at Nicholls State in Louisiana, before moving with her coach to help start the softball program at Louisiana State University. She also played for two seasons with the Tigers.
Perry says the transition to head coach at Illinois has gone pretty smoothly so far.
"We just have a great group of young women that really understand softball," Perry said. "My staff and myself have felt really welcomed here."
Friday night’s series opener for the Illini softball team at Penn State was postponed because of rain. The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon central time.
Illini softball players Allie Bauch and Ashley Fleming were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team yesterday. To be eligible, players must maintain at 3-point-3 grade point average or higher and be a varsity starter or key reserve.