Carbondale Reporter

Softball head coach Jen Sewell has announced the hiring of Laurin Watts as the program's pitching coach at Southern Illinois University.

"We have been anticipating this big announcement for a while now and I'm so glad we were able to get Laurin on board with us here at Saluki Softball," Sewell stated. "Laurin is one of the top up-and-coming pitching coaches in the country. Her name just kept coming up every time I asked about who is the next big pitching hire."

Watts joins Southern Illinois after five seasons at Southern Utah, where she was promoted to Associate Head Coach of the Thunderbirds in fall 2023. During her tenure in Cedar City, Watts worked with both pitching and catching staffs and served as the program's lead recruiter.

"Laurin is not only known for her pitching knowledge but also is a big-time recruiter," Sewell said. "We were looking for someone who could continue to bring the top pitchers here to SIU. Most importantly, though, her reputation as a player's coach really stood out; everyone in the pitching world talks about her ability to adapt to and connect with each athlete in her bullpen. Laurin is a big win for Saluki Softball, and we are excited to get her on the road this week and see her work this fall with a young pitching staff."

Before joining Southern Utah, Watts was head softball coach and department head of physical education at Prattville High School in Alabama. There, she led her team to two consecutive area championships and back-to-back regional appearances in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, Prattville also reached the state championship tournament.

Prior to Prattville, Watts was head coach at Pinson Valley High School in Pinson, Alabama. Her team won two consecutive championships in 2015 and 2016 and made three regional appearances from 2015 to 2017.

Watts has additional experience as a regular camp counselor at Mississippi State University's Hail State Softball Camp.

As a student-athlete, Watts played softball at Adelphi University in New York from 2010 to 2013. She earned accolades such as NE-10 Pitcher of the Week twice, NE-10 Third Team All-Conference in 2013, and NE-10 All-Tournament Team honors. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education in 2013.

Watts hails from Birmingham, Alabama.