USA Softball has announced the selection of Laura Berg, Howard Dobson, Tairia Flowers and Heather Tarr as Assistant Coaches for the 2020 USA Softball Women’s National Team. They will join Head Coach Ken Eriksen in leading the Women’s National Team next July at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan where the United States will look to reclaim the gold medal, which they won in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Japan beat USA in the 2008 Olympic final.
“Congratulations to all four coaches on this much-deserved selection as an Assistant Coach for our 2020 Women’s National Team,” said USA Softball Chief Executive Officer, Craig Cress. “Their qualifications alone speak volumes to their ability to lead and guide athletes in their journey to gold. It’s also extremely special for us to have two Olympians on our coaching staff who can share invaluable experience and knowledge on what the members of the 2020 team can expect.”
“Team USA is in great hands with our coaching staff heading into the training season and into the ‘Stand Beside Her’ tour,” said Women’s National Team Head Coach, Ken Eriksen. “The addition of assistant coaches Laura Berg, Howard Dobson, Tairia Flowers, and Heather Tarr is a bonus for our athletes. Their combined knowledge, experience, and communication abilities are a tremendous asset for our team in its efforts to get better every day. With Olympic Games experiences amongst the staff, I feel very honoured to have these four great people join us.”
Berg has been involved with USA Softball as both an athlete or coach since 1994. As a player, Berg is one of four women who hold three Olympic gold medals. Considered to be one of the greatest outfielders to ever play the game, Berg helped the United States to a gold medal at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and also holds an Olympic silver medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In addition to competing in four Olympic Games, the National Softball Hall of Fame member also played in four World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Championships and three Pan American Championships, all of which were gold medal finishes.
Dobson is making his ninth appearance as an Assistant Coach for the Women’s National Team program after serving on the coaching staff since 2012. In his tenure with USA Softball, Dobson has contributed to two WBSC World Championship gold medal finishes in addition to a gold medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
Flowers, a two-time Olympian, has been involved with USA Softball since 2001 both as a player and coach. As a player on the Women’s National Team, Flowers helped the United States to a perfect record and gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also won gold medals at the 2002 and 2006 WBSC Women’s World Championships and the 2003 and 2007 Pan American Games.
In 2017, Tarr joined the USA Softball program as an Assistant Coach for the Women’s National Team and helped guide the 2017 roster to a gold medal finish at the Pan American Championship in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Returning to the coaching staff in 2018, Tarr once again had a gold medal season with the WNT who captured a gold medal at the WBSC World Championship. In 2019, Tarr served as the Head Coach for a history-making U-19 Women’s National Team that earned a bronze medal at the USA Softball International Cup, the first for a Junior Women’s National Team program, and a gold medal finish at the WBSC U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup.
