Before Heather Tarr became Head Softball Coach at the University of Washington, she spent her days lacing up her cleats and running out on a Little League® diamond, learning the game of baseball and softball. In her early years, Tarr played baseball in the same league as her brothers. After her Majors Division season, Tarr’s fast pitch softball career kicked off with Kirkland (Wash.) Little League and Redmond (Wash.) Little League.
In 1993, Tarr and her Kirkland LL teammates won the Big League Softball World Series, taking home the championship banner. A year later, after graduating from the Little League program, Tarr’s collegiate career began at the University of Washington, where she was part of the school’s first Women’s College World Series team in 1996. After graduating in 1997, Tarr played two years professionally with the Tampa Bay FireStix in the Women’s Professional Softball League before she traded in her cleats for a coach’s hat.
After five years as an assistant coach at the University of the Pacific in California, Tarr returned to her home state and became the head coach at the University of Washington in 2005. Since then, Tarr has become the winningest coach of any sport in the university’s history and led the Huskies to the program’s first national championship in 2009.
In 2019, for not only her dedication to growing the game but for also living out Little League’s core values, Tarr was enshrined into the Little League Hall of Excellence, the highest honor the organization can bestow.
Since her first days on a Little League diamond to her more than two-decade long coaching career, including serving as the Head Coach of Team USA, Tarr has learned first-hand how to not only handle big moments as a player, but how parents and coaches can play a role in helping their player handle the pressure, too. With the 2025 Women’s College World Series heating up, and the Summer of Softball well underway, Little League sat down with Tarr for a “Six Innings Conversation” to learn what advice she has for Little League parents, coaches, and players.
First Inning: What is a piece of advice you have for a Little League coach?
Little League coaches are the best. I personally experienced Little League in my youth days and they made my experience worthwhile, whether it be in my baseball days up until I was about 12 years old or when I transitioned over to play fastpitch. I had some of the best coaches who just loved us first and allowed us to learn the skills of the game alongside the values that have lasted me through my lifetime as an athlete and as a coach.
Second Inning: What do you think makes a good coach?
What makes a good coach is one, the ability to relate to your players, but also, two, have skill knowledge or technical knowledge that’s appropriate to the age for development purposes. And then, thirdly, the ability to organize and manage your culture whether it be the environment of the players or the environment between the athletes, the parents, the coaches, and the community.
Third Inning: What advice would you give to a parent of a Little Leaguer?
I think what’s special about Little League is it can really define the roles in athletics that are appropriate for development — the coach is the coach, the athlete is the athlete, the officials and the umpires do the officiating, and then there is the parent’s role. What is the parent’s role? That is one of support and to support obviously the athlete, but also to the coaches and the system that are founded for the roles. You just have to know your role and help support. I think, let the coaches coach, let the umpires umpire, and do your part as a parent.
Fourth Inning: Little League is all about fun. Why is it so important to keep the game fun?
I think foundationally, you know, you’ve got to have fun even at the expense of winning sometimes. You also want to win, but not at the expense of having fun. So, just trying to find your own personal balance between winning and having fun, I think you can do a good job.
Fifth Inning: What does community mean to you in the softball world?
I think community is a relationship between the geographical area that you’re around and the ability to create bonds and almost even create an environment or a culture that people understand what it is so that they can live within that culture. But I know community for me personally, growing up, and even now to this day, is super important to the why of why I do the things I do.
Sixth Inning: Why should someone support the Little League program?
I can think back to even my own experience. I remember walking up above the concession stand at Redmond Little League. I remember the day that each team got their equipment from that shed where the equipment was stored. Hopefully, those types of experience can continue for all of the people that want to play this sport. I would just continue to encourage communities, coaches, parents, and volunteers to think about how accessible we can make the sport through the Little League experience.
Learn more about Little League’s Philanthropy and Social Impact efforts and how donations made to Little League Baseball and Softball not only allow us to keep the cost of membership affiliation to local communities low but also allow us to provide additional programming support by visiting LittleLeague.org/Impact.