Heather Tarter enters her sixth season as the head softball coach at McKendree University in 2026-27 after authoring the greatest season in program history. In 2026, Tarter guided the Bearcats to a program-record 51 victories, the program's first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship Series appearance, and a National Runner-Up finish, establishing McKendree as one of the nation's premier Division II softball programs.
The Bearcats finished the 2026 campaign with a 51-17 overall record, breaking the program record for wins while becoming the first major team sport in McKendree history to compete for an NCAA national championship. McKendree's postseason run featured a dramatic 3-2 walk-off victory over Missouri Southern State in the national semifinals before a 4-3 triumph over Cal State San Marcos sent the Bearcats to the championship series against Saint Leo.
Tarter's sixth-year squad featured one of the most accomplished senior classes in NCAA Division II softball history, led by Lauren Harris and Sami Huck.
One of the greatest players in both McKendree and Division II history, Harris concluded her career as a four-time All-American, three-time Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, the 2024 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, the 2024 D2CCA National Player of the Year, and the 2026 D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year. Harris finished her career with a program-record 344 hits, including 106 during the Bearcats' National Runner-Up campaign, while earning NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team honors. Her decorated career helped establish McKendree as a perennial national contender and culminated in one of the most successful individual careers in Division II softball.
Huck likewise finished her career among the finest pitchers in school history. During the 2026 season, she authored two no-hitters, highlighted by a remarkable 20-strikeout no-hit performance against Parkside, while surpassing both 550 career strikeouts at McKendree and 1,100 collegiate strikeouts overall, as well as picking up two NFCA National Player of the Week honors, one of just two pitchers to do so in 2026 across all three NCAA divisions. Huck's dominance anchored one of the nation's premier pitching staffs throughout the Bearcats' championship run.
The historic 2026 roster also featured a standout starting lineup of Jasmine Myers, Paisley Twait, Laynee Tapp, Ali Grenzebach, Molly Bartz, Addie Clark, Trista Moore, and Ellie Vetter, helping transform McKendree from a regional contender into a national power.
Tarter's impact on the Bearcat program began immediately upon her arrival in 2021. In her first season at the helm in 2022, she led McKendree to a 20-24 overall record and coached Olivia Stansbury to one of the finest individual seasons in program history.
Under Tarter's guidance, Stansbury became the first softball player in school history to earn Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year honors while also collecting unanimous NCAA Division II All-America recognition, D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year honors and finalist status for NFCA National Player of the Year. Stansbury established program single-season records with 20 home runs, a .477 batting average and a 1.052 slugging percentage, leading all of NCAA Division II in slugging percentage. She and pitcher Ellie Quaethem each earned All-GLVC honors during the 2022 campaign.
Before arriving at McKendree, Tarter spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville, helping the Purple Aces post consecutive winning seasons in 2020 and 2021. Evansville finished 23-22 in 2021, the program's highest win total since 2016.
Prior to Evansville, Tarter served as interim head coach at IUPUI during the 2017 season, where she authored one of the finest single-season turnarounds in program history. The Jaguars finished 23-31 overall and captured the program's first Summit League regular-season championship with an 11-6 conference record, earning the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
For her efforts, Tarter was named the 2017 Summit League Coach of the Year, becoming the first softball coach in school history to receive the honor. IUPUI advanced to the Summit League Tournament championship game for the second consecutive season while earning the program's first postseason berth in the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship. Six Jaguars earned All-Summit League recognition, including Summit League Player of the Year Maggie Good.
Tarter began her head coaching career as the founding head coach at Purdue University Calumet, where she built the Peregrines' softball program from the ground up. Over three seasons, she compiled a 75-60 overall record while posting a 5-3 mark against nationally ranked opponents.
In the program's inaugural 2014 season, Purdue Calumet finished 28-8 overall and ranked among the NAIA Division II national leaders in five offensive categories, including third nationally in both runs per game and RBI per game. The Peregrines also earned a memorable 2-1 victory over NCAA Division I Purdue during the program's inaugural fall campaign.
The Peregrines continued their ascent in 2015, posting a 25-23 overall record and earning a berth into the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament in their first season of eligibility. Purdue Calumet recorded four victories over nationally ranked opponents that season while producing seven All-CCAC selections, three all-tournament honorees and two NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes during Tarter's tenure.
Tarter launched her collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Parkland College under legendary head coach Chuck Clutts. During four seasons with the Cobras, Parkland compiled a 168-70 overall record, won three consecutive NJCAA Region 24 championships and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament twice, including a third-place national finish in 2012. The Cobras also produced five NJCAA All-Americans, 23 all-conference selections and 10 Academic All-Americans during her tenure.
A native of Fairbury, Illinois, Tarter played collegiately at Kankakee Community College before transferring to the University of Northern Iowa. An all-region catcher at Kankakee, she helped lead the Cavaliers to two NJCAA Region IV championships and a fifth-place finish at the 2006 NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
Tarter earned her associate degree from Kankakee Community College in 2006 before receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science from Northern Iowa in 2008.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Head Coach – McKendree University (2021–Present; sixth season in 2026-27)
Assistant Coach – University of Evansville (2017-2021)
Interim Head Coach – IUPUI (2017)
Head Coach – Purdue University Calumet (2014-2016)
Assistant Coach – Parkland College (2009-2013)
