IU Indy Athletics

Heather Tarter completed one of the most successful rookie campaigns in IUPUI history in her first year at the helm of the Jags. Coach Tarter joined the softball team following a three-year stint at the helm for Purdue Calumet.  While there, Tarter led the Peregrines to a 28-8 overall record in the program’s inaugural season, including a 14-5 mark against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) opponents.

Tarter was named the 2017 Summit League Coach of the Year after she led her team to a 23-31 finish, guiding the Jags to their first-ever Summit League regular season title and No. 1 seed in the Summit League Tournament with an 11-6 league mark.  For the second-straight year, the Jags advanced to the championship game in the tournament, once again facing the North Dakota State Bison.  IUPUI also advanced to its first-ever postseason, taking part in the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC).  Tarter landed six players on the All-Summit League teams as well as the Summit League Player of the Year (Maggie Good).    
 
Prior to IUPUI, Coach Tarter was the first head coach for PUC and was tasked with the daunting challenge of starting a program from scratch. She put together an impressive 75-60 record across three seasons, including a 5-3 mark against top-25 opponents.  Her accomplishments included seven All-CCAC selections following the 2015 and 2016 seasons, three All-Tournament selections and two Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete selections.
 
Responsible for all aspects of the program, including recruitment coordination, travel arrangements, scouting reports, and so on, Tarter’s highlights at PUC included ranking in the top 25 in NAIA Division II in five offensive categories (runs per game, RBIs per game, doubles per game, slugging percentage, and batting average) in 2014 and an improbable 2-1 win over NCAA Division I Purdue during the 2013 fall season.
 
Prior to PUC, Tarter spent four seasons as an assistant coach at national powerhouse Parkland College of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).  While there, she helped guide the Cobras to 168 wins in four years, including three-consecutive NJCAA Region 24 titles and a pair of NJCAA National Tournament appearances.  Having played a vital role in player recruitment, Tarter saw five players earn NJCAA All-American selections, in addition to 15 All-Region selections, and 23 All-Conference selections. 
 
A native of Fairbury, Illinois, Tarter played her freshman and sophomore seasons at Kankakee Community College before transferring to Northern Iowa for her junior and senior years.  A standout catcher at KCC, Tarter was an All-Region performer, and helped lead the Cavaliers to a pair of NJCAA Regional titles, in addition to a fifth-place finish at the 2006 NJCAA Division II National Tournament.