By Tim Clinton
Making the NCAA tournament has become a habit for the University of Washington fastpitch softball team.
The Huskies have missed out on the tournament only twice since they were founded in 1993, and that was in their first year and in the COVID year of 2020 when nobody made it.
They won it all in 2009 and snagged second place national finishes in 1996, 1999 and 2018.
Washington made the World Series 15 times and reached the Super Regional level 15 times since it started to be played in 2005.
The UW made the opening Regionals in 2024 and last advanced from there to the Super Regionals and World Series in 2023.
It finished fifth or better in the nation every year from 1996 to 2000.
Before moving to the Big 10 Conference this year, the Huskies had won regular season conference championships in the Pac-12 in 1996, 2000, 2010 and 2019.
Heather Tarr has coached the University of Washington team for 21 seasons after replacing original coach Teresa Wilson and the one-year coaching tandem of Scott Centala and Steve Dailey from 2004.
Washington won the 2009 Women's College World Series held in Oklahoma City with wins of 8-0 and 3-2 over the University of Florida in the finals.
One of the Huskies' toughest playoff tests that year came at the opening Regional tournament level in Massachusetts, with them beating UMass, 6-1, with a five-run rally in the 15th inning. That sent them on to the Super Regional level on their way to the World Series.
Other World Series appearances were made by Washington in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023.
Other Super Regional appearances came in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023.