Hampton University hired Cat Tarvin as its head softball coach Wednesday after she spent four seasons in that position with North Carolina Central.
“Cat brings a wealth of experience that spans across multiple levels of the sport,” Hampton athletic director Anthony Henderson said in a school release. “As a player, she has a firsthand understanding of the game. … Her time as an assistant coach has provided her with a strong foundation in strategy, player development and game management. Moreover, her role as a head coach at both the collegiate and professional levels demonstrates her leadership abilities and ability to manage and build a successful program.”
Tarvin said in the release, “I am beyond excited to be coming to Hampton. It is a program that has a tradition of success. I’ve been a player, worked as a GA (graduate assistant), assistant and head coach, and have learned a lot over the years. I’m looking forward to using this knowledge to build the program.”
Hampton was 17-35 in 2024, 7-20 in the Coastal Athletic Association. The Pirates were 10th in the 12-team conference and didn’t qualify for its six-team tournament.
Tarvin is replacing Monique White, who resigned May 6 after her teams were 51-102 in three seasons.
In 2023, Tarvin led the Eagles to a 12-7 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season record and then guided them to the MEAC Tournament title on Norfolk State’s field. That gave N.C. Central its first NCAA Tournament bid.
In ’24, NCCU was 14-7 in the MEAC regular season and third in the conference tournament in Norfolk.
When Tarvin took over the Eagles, they hadn’t posted a winning record in 17 seasons and had been above .500 in the MEAC just twice in that span.
Tarvin, who grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia, was a two-way player for Kennesaw State and then Presbyterian, from where she graduated in 2013. She was on the All-Big South second team as a utility player as a senior for the Blue Hose.
She is spending the summer as the head coach of the Texas Smoke, a Women’s Professional Fastpitch team.
