Heather Hupke will begin her sixth season as head coach at heralma mater in the spring of 2014.
Since making her way back to BVU, she has helped lead theBeavers back into the Iowa Conference Tournament in each of thelast two seasons and in three of the last four. The team had missedout in each of the two years prior to her arrival. The teamfinished 17-17 in 2012, marking the first .500 overall record in asingle season since 2002.
The team has had four all-conference players in the last threeseasons after having none in the previous three. In 2010, theprogram was honored with seven players on the National FastpitchCoaches Association All-Academic Team, marking the program'slargest total since 2005 (7).
Prior to her return to BVU, she spent 10 seasons as headsoftball coach at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa.During her tenure there, she led the Chargers to a runner-up finishin the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in 2004 - its firstyear in the league. She also guided the team to four straightsectional and regional titles from 1999-2003, while being named theSectional Coach of the Year in 2001.
A four-time All-American at BVU, Hupke made a name for herselfas a star pitcher from 1992-95. In 1992, her first collegiateseason, Hupke finished the year with the nation's lowest earned runaverage (0.47), as she helped lead the team to an NCAA runner-upfinish. She compiled a 12-2 overall record that season en route toa career record of 72-20.
The rest of her career was much of the same as she became afour-time all-conference and all-region performer and was named theIowa Conference MVP after posting a conference-record 14 winsduring her senior campaign. She helped lead the Beavers to threeIowa Conference Championships (1992, 1994, and 1995), as well asanother top-five national finish (fifth-place) in 1994. In the fallof 2005, Hupke was inducted into the Buena Vista Athletic Hall ofFame.
To this day, the three-time Buena Vista MVP holds the program'scareer marks in wins (72), appearances (97), complete games (79),shutouts (30), innings pitched (602.1), and strikeouts (525). Hername is also found atop the BVU single-season list for wins (24;1995), appearances (35; 1995), complete games (29; 1995), shutouts(11; 1993), and innings pitched (217; 1995).
Prior to arriving at Briar Cliff, Hupke was a graduate assistantat South Dakota State University from September of 1996 thru May of1998 where she graduated with a master's degree in HPER in 1998. Inaddition, she has also served as an assistant coach atGalva-Holstein High School (1996) as well as at Cherokee WashingtonHigh School (1998). While at BVU, she also served as a pitchingclinic instructor.
Hupke and her husband, Dewey, have two children; Mackenzie andKorver.
Hupke'sAccomplishments:
- Coached 10 seasons (1999-2008) at Briar Cliff University inSioux City, Iowa
- Led the Chargers to four straight sectional and regional titlesfrom 1999-2003, earning Sectional Coach of the Year in 2001
- Was a four-time All-American pitcher for BVU from 1992-95
- Finished with the nation's lowest earned run average (0.47) injust her first collegiate season
- Tallied a career overall record of 72-20
- Helped lead BVU to three Iowa Conference Championships (1992,1994, and 1995), including a national runner-up finish in 1992 anda fifth-place finish in 1995
- Was inducted into the Buena Vista Athletic Hall of Fame in2005
