Washington softball's swan song in the Pac-12 Conference is upon us, and as the crown jewel of a strong softball conference, the Huskies have served the league well.

UW will join the Big Ten Conference next school year, along with fellow Pac-12 exiles UCLA, USC and Oregon. Though the primarily Midwestern Big Ten will get a major boost in many sports, the memories left behind in the Pac-12 softball sphere—up to, and including, a national championship for Washington—will be hard to repeat, at least right away, in a new league.

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So, after four Pac-12 regular-season titles in its history, what’s stopping Washington from claiming its fifth?

Well, blue-blood UCLA still exists, and the Huskies have some major holes to fill after the graduation of several award winners. 

Washington’s 2024 season will begin against a field of elite teams at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico. The event will take place across two sessions—Feb. 8-11 and Feb. 14-18—with each featuring different teams.

The Huskies will play in Session 1, joined by Oklahoma, Utah Valley, Duke, Long Beach State, Iowa State and Nebraska. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Washington softball ahead of the 2024 season. 

How Did Washington Softball Do In 2023?

Last season, the Huskies returned to the Women’s College World Series after a four-year absence and picked up the No. 7 seed for the NCAA Tournament. 

UW gave powerhouse, and eventual national champion Oklahoma one of its toughest games of the season (ultimately a 5-4 loss in early February). 

They also won a series over Stanford and swept Arizona and powered through both the Seattle Regional and Super Regional to make it back to Oklahoma City. 

The drive for the title started with the Huskies taking down Utah in the opening round in OKC, but back-to-back losses followed against Florida State and Stanford, respectively, sending Washington home from its 15th WCWS appearance.

The squad finished the year with a 44-15 record, coach Heather Tarr’s fifth 40-win campaign in a (full) season since 2017.

Who Coaches Washington Softball?

Heather Tarr is the coach for Washington Huskies softball. 

Tarr has seen Washington’s program evolve from the ground up. 

She’s a former player for the Huskies who was a freshman on the school’s first NCAA Tournament squad in 1994 and helped them finish runner-up at the WCWS as a junior in 1996.

Tarr was brought back to Montlake in 2005 after six years as an assistant coach at Pacific and has stayed ever since, becoming Washington’s winningest coach in any sport with a 788-298-1 record. 

Her crowning achievement undoubtedly was when she guided the Huskies to the 2009 national title. Her coaching has since spread to the international stage, too.

Tarr, a former assistant with the United States’ women’s national softball team, was named its head coach in 2021 after being on the coaching staff of Team USA when it captured a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Has Washington Ever Won The Women’s College World Series?

Yes, Washington won the national championship for the first time in 2009, led by two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie. 

Notable Returning Players

Ruby Meylan, P

Thrown into the fire immediately as a freshman, Meylan didn’t budge and became an ace for the Huskies right away. 

The sophomore from Nebraska went 18-7 on the mound with a 2.14 ERA in her first collegiate season in 2023, earning herself selections as both a NFCA third-team All-American (the first UW freshman to earn the honor since 2018) and a first-team All-Pac 12 Conference nod for her efforts. 

Meylan is also an effective closer when called upon, as well, with her seven saves tying the program record for the most in a season. Meylan is versatile in a variety of situations—from sleepy early-season games to cutthroat WCWS showdowns. 

Now, with a season under her belt, a true breakout could be in the cards for 2024. Meylan looks to be the next elite Huskies hurler, along with the likes of Jennifer Spediacci, Lawrie and Gabbie Plain.

Kinsey Fiedler, INF

The Huskies’ lineup is a major question mark going into the 2024 season, as they’ll be without their four leading hitters from a season ago, including All-American infielder Baylee Klingler and second-team All-Pac 12 nominee Sami Reynolds. 

The Huskies will need an upstart slugger and Fiedler—a former No. 1-ranked prospect in the FloSoftball Hot 100—has the potential to fit the bill and become UW’s go-to option.

Already an everyday starter for two seasons, Fiedler’s batting average jumped from .237 to .277 across that stretch, and she’s on level footing with Rylee Holtorf as the Huskies’ top returning hitter into 2024. 

Having shown hints of power with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs in her freshman season, Fiedler’s time to shine may be on the horizon for a Huskies squad that needs to find some figures who will produce on offense this season.

Notable Newcomers

Jillian Celis, INF

San Diego State made its first Super Regional appearance last season, and Celis contributed to that result. 

A starter (mainly in the middle infield) in all 165 of her appearances across four seasons at SDSU, Celis is coming off her best collegiate season. She batted .343 with 49 RBIs and was integral in the clinching of the Aztecs’ second straight NCAA Tournament berth, earning the Mountain West Tournament MVP award after smashing five hits and seven RBIs. 

As previously mentioned, in order to keep up with the national elites, Washington needs some proven hitting after losing important graduates.

If Celis keeps up her solid reputation as a contact hitter and can spread it to the Pac-12 Conference, then the Huskies should be in business. 

Jadyn Glab, C/UTL

Washington’s first softball recruit from Iowa, Glab also was the first recruit to commit to UW’s Class of 2023. She’ll now get a chance to make that patience worth it in her freshman season.

Catcher will be a competitive spot on the Huskies’ roster this season, as Sydney Stewart and Olivia Johnson, who each manned the plate in 2023, both return, while JUCO transfer Haley Winckler arrives as well. 

But Glab, listed as a top-10 recruit in the country by Perfect Game Softball, demonstrated both in high school and on the travel ball scene something Washington needs more of for 2024: RBIs. The Huskies' top returning player in RBIs, sophomore utility Alana Johnson, had 22 a season ago.

2024 Washington Softball Roster

Washington Softball Schedule 2024

How To Watch the 2024 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

Watch the 2024 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on FloSoftball and the FloSports App.

2024 Puerto Vallarta Challenge Tournament Schedule

Session 1 Schedule

All Times Eastern

Feb. 8

• 11:30 a.m. – Utah Valley vs. Oklahoma
• 2 p.m. – Duke vs. Oklahoma
• 5 p.m. – Iowa State vs. Utah Valley
• 7:30 p.m. – Nebraska vs. Washington

Feb. 9

• 11 a.m. – Duke vs. Iowa State
• 1:30 p.m. – Duke vs. Nebraska
• 4 p.m. – Long Beach vs. Nebraska
• 7 p.m. – Utah Valley vs. Washington
• 9:30 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Washington

Feb. 10

• 11:30 a.m. – Nebraska vs. Utah Valley
• 2 p.m. – Oklahoma vs. Long Beach
• 5 p.m. – Washington vs. Iowa State
• 7:30 p.m. – Duke vs. Long Beach

Feb. 11

• 11 a.m. – Iowa State vs. Long Beach

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