Tyra Perry

Head Coach

Tyra Perry was hired as the University of Illinois’ second-ever head coach in June, 2015. Entering her 23rd season as a NCAA Division I softball head coach and ninth at the helm of the Illini, Perry has totaled over 600 career victories as the head coach at Illinois, Ball State, Western Kentucky and Birmingham Southern.

Perry has made an immediate impact in her time at the helm of Illini softball, leading the program to its first back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances since 2010 after advancing to postseason play in 2016 and 2017 and has guided the Illini to 36 wins or more for three-straight seasons for the first time in program history. She guided the Illini to another NCAA Regional in 2019 after a 33-25 season and already had three top-25 wins in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the season.

Perry's 2022 squad finished third in the Big Ten and qualified for the NCAA Tournament, her fourth appearance in seven years with the Illini. She is one-of-three current head coaches to lead three different programs to the NCAA Tournament and is the only woman to do so. In 2023, Illinois hosted the Big Ten Softball Tournament for the first time in program history. The Illini pulled off the upset in the opening round, topping Wisconsin, 8-4, to become the first-ever 12-seed to defeat a five-seed in the current tournament format.

In Perry's third campaign in Champaign, the 2018 Illini posted a 37-18 overall record and a sixth-place finish with a 13-8 mark in the Big Ten Conference, with the 37 total victories ranking as the fourth-most wins in the conference. The Illini also tallied one of their best home seasons in program history with a 15-2 record at Eichelberger Field in 2018, including posting the second-highest win percentage and most victories in program history.

Perry led the 2017 squad to a 39-20 record, tying for the fourth-most wins in program history and a top-four finish in the Big Ten Conference with a 14-8 mark, while also advancing to the conference tournament semifinals for the first time since 2004. The Illini ended the 2017 season with their third-highest RPI ranking in program history at No. 27 and made an appearance or received votes in both the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball top-25 polls 10 out of the 16 weeks throughout the season, including the final nine weeks of the 2017 campaign. The Illini finished the season with appearances in both the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the ESPN.com/USA Softball top-25 polls, finishing at No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and in the receiving four votes section of the USA Today/NFCA poll.

In her first season in Champaign-Urbana, Perry took the Illini back to NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2010 and fifth overall in program history. UI wrapped Perry’s first year with the fifth-most wins in program history with a 36-23 overall record and registered a seventh place finish in the Big Ten Conference with a 12-11 record in the standings. The Illini’s 36 wins was the most wins the team has notched since posting 45 victories during the 2010 campaign, while the 36-23 mark is also the best start ever by any first year Illinois softball or baseball head coach.  

Under Perry’s guidance, the Illini have notched 15 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) honors as Nicole Evans (First-Team), Allie Bauch (Second-Team) and Breanna Wonderly (Third-Team) were recognized in 2016 and Stephanie Abello joined Evans and Wonderly as first-team honorees in 2017, while Alyssa Gunther and Annie Fleming also garnered second-team accolades in 2017. The Illini had a quartet of student-athletes earn NFCA with Carly Thomas, Kiana Sherlund and Abello all collecting First-Team accolades and Bella Loya receiving Second-Team honors in 2019. Avrey Steiner came away with the honor in 2021 and, along with Sydney Sickles, received the distinction from the organization in 2022. Kelly Ryono added to the list of accolades, being named to the second team in 2023.

The Perry era in Champaign-Urbana started with a bang as UI registered a 5-1 win over then-No. 10 Florida State in the team’s season-opening tournament in Miami, Fla., with the victory over the Seminoles marking the first win over a ranked opponent since the Illini defeated No. 4 Michigan on April 25, 2014 at Eichelberger Field. It was also just the seventh win against a top-10 foe and just the fourth win against a top-10 team not named Michigan.

During her two seasons at Ball State, Perry directed the Cardinals to 67 wins with a combined nine All-MAC selections and 13 Academic All-MAC honorees. This year’s team went 34-25 and won the Mid-American Conference West Division before claiming the 2015 MAC Tournament Championship, earning the Cardinals an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Ball State defeated 16th-seeded Notre Dame in postseason action to record its first-ever NCAA Regional victory.

Perry was named 2014 MAC Coach of the Year during her first season at Ball State after guiding the program to a 33-19 mark and overall conference title during the regular season. The Cardinals had a program-record five first-team All-MAC selections, led by Player of the Year Jennifer Gilbert, who also earned All-America honors.

Prior to Ball State, Perry spent six seasons as head coach at Western Kentucky, guiding the Lady Toppers to 196 victories to become the winningest coach in program history. In 2013, WKU earned its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance, advancing to the championship game of the Tuscaloosa Regional. Western Kentucky finished the year ranked No. 26 in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the highest final ranking in program history.

Perry also guided the Lady Toppers to several other firsts during the 2013 campaign. The program posted its first 40-plus-win season (43-18) and earned its first Sun Belt Conference regular season title with a 20-3 league record.

The two-time Sun Belt Coach of the Year (2009 and 2013), Perry helped Emily Rousseau earn the program's first SBC Pitcher of the Year honor in 2013. In her six seasons with the Lady Toppers, Perry helped her players garner 14 All-SBC honors and eight SBC All-Tournament Team selections.

In the classroom, Perry’s Western Kentucky student-athletes earned five CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, 22 recognitions on the Sun Belt Commissioner's List and 34 Sun Belt Academic Honor Roll awards.

Perry guided Birmingham-Southern to 146 victories in seven years as head coach (six seasons of competition), despite the Panthers being a provisional NCAA Division I member during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. In 2006, she led Birmingham-Southern to its first winning season in program history with a 28-21 record.

Her Panthers squads posted at least 25 wins in each of her final five seasons with the program. In addition, 15 Birmingham-Southern student-athletes received postseason honors from the Big South Conference during Perry’s tenure.

In 2006, Perry added the title of Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator to her duties and served as the school’s compliance director. Perry also was the head coach for a Southeastern All-Star team that played the United States Olympic squad prior to the 2004 games in Athens.

A 1997 and 1998 graduate of Louisiana State University, Perry earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 1997 and added a master's degree in sports administration in 1998. After two seasons at Nicholls State, Perry followed her head coach to LSU as the second signee in the first signing class of the newly created Tiger softball program. After sitting out in 1996, she became a two-year letterwinner for the Tigers (1997-98), helping the program post a combined 102-28 record over her career, including a 58-14 mark in Southeastern Conference play. She also helped the Tigers pick up a pair of SEC West Division titles and make the program's first-ever NCAA Regional Tournament appearance where it finished second.

In her first season at LSU, Perry led the Tigers with a .345 batting average, 11 home runs, 40 runs scored, .416 on-base percentage and .612 slugging percentage. Those numbers helped her earn recognition on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region Second Team, as well as First-Team All-Louisiana honors and a slot on the SEC’s All-Tournament Team. Perry led the team with five homers in 1998 while posting a .324 average with 29 runs scored and 38 RBI. Off the field, she was twice named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Prior to entering the coaching profession, Perry served a two-year internship in the compliance department at LSU.

Perry was inducted into the Zachary High School Hall of Fame in her hometown of Zachary, Louisiana, in 2007.

Perry's sister, Brittney Williams, played under Perry at Western Kentucky and currently serves as the head coach for the D1 Southern University Jaguars softball team