Katie O'Connell enters her first season as the Assistant Coach for the IUPUI softball program in 2017.
Making the move to IUPUI after her one-year tenure in the Windy City, Coach O'Connell helped the UIC Flames to a 39-22 overall record last season with a commanding 20-4 mark against Horizon League opponents. The Flames swept the field in the conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Regionals, where they picked up a 5-4 victory over Missouri in Eugene, Oregon. A hitting and defensive specialist, Coach O'Connell helped her team to a league-high .282 batting average and .352 on-base percentage, topping the field with 164 walks and 224 RBIs.
Prior to her year at UIC, Coach O'Connell returned to her alma mater Illinois, where she served as an assistant coach from 2009-15. Her tenure there produced numerous notable accomplishments, including an explosive 45-8 overall record in 2010 with a 16-2 mark against Big Ten opponents. The Fighting Illini moved on to the NCAA Regionals and picked up a pair of wins over DePaul. Overall, the team went 174-126 in her six seasons, with 14 victories over nationally ranked opponents and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Before returning to Illinois, O'Connell spent time as a head coach at Casey-Westfield High School in Illinois, where she led her team to a pair Class A state runner-up finishes in back-to-back seasons. As a player, O'Connell was a student-athlete at Illinois from 2001-04. She helped the team to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004, which included a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in her senior season.
