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Tammy Utley

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Tammy Utley Named Head Softball Coach

STORM LAKE, Iowa (June 11, 2024) – Buena Vista University Director of Athletics Amy Maier has announced the hiring of Tammy Utley as BVU’s head softball coach. Utley replaces Sarah Richardson who resigned after the 2024 season.

Tammy Utley
Tammy Utley

Utley, who has over 27 years of coaching experience, will take over the Beaver program after spending the past seven seasons as head coach at Lakeland University in Plymouth, Wis. She is coming off a record setting season with the Muskies, guiding them to a school-record 35 wins (35-10 overall, 19-5 Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference) and one win shy of an NCAA Regional Tournament appearance. Prior to the season, the Muskies had not won more than 20 games in a season since 2016. Prior to being named head coach in June 2017, Utley spent three seasons within the program as assistant coach.

I am so excited to welcome Tammy back to her home state of Iowa to be the next Head Softball Coach here at BVU,” says Maier. “Tammy’s extensive coaching career, her passion and knowledge of the sport, and leadership qualities made her an extremely desirable candidate. I am excited to see her work with and develop our student-athletes, connect with our supportive alumni, and put her stamp on both the softball program and our athletics department as a whole.”

A Fort Dodge, Iowa, native, Utley got her coaching career started as an assistant coach at the high school level at Mid-Prairie High School (1997-2002) in Wellman, Iowa. She then served as an assistant coach at the University of Northern Iowa from 2002-07, and then stepped into a head coaching role, first at Cedar Falls (Iowa) High School from 2008-10 and then at Waterloo West High School from 2011-12. She was inducted into the Fort Dodge High School Softball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Utley played college softball at the University of Iowa, and as a senior in 1999, was named team captain, voted the team’s Most Valuable Player and earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors. Utley also ranked in the top-three of program history in career home runs, was also a member of two College World Series appearances (1996 and 1997), was a Big Ten Academic All-American in 1997.

I would like to thank Director of Athletics Amy Maier, Vice President Dr. Brandon Johnson and their team of coaches for this amazing opportunity to lead a softball program that is rich in tradition. I’m thrilled to be returning to my home state of Iowa and being back near family after 12 years. Beaver softball has a tremendous support system in the alumni and a beautiful campus, which were among the many factors that made this opportunity attractive. I’m excited to continue the tradition built by the alumni and look forward to building continued success both on the field and in the classroom.
Tammy Utley, BVU Head Softball Coach

Utley graduated from the University of Iowa in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports, Health, Leisure and Physical Studies. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Lakeland in 2018.