Don Don Williams is entering her seventh season as the head coach of the Southern Utah softball team. Williams was hired on August 22nd, 2019.
In 2025 the Coach Williams led the T-Birds to a third place regular season finish in the WAC and a second straight WAC tournament appearance. The Thunderbirds finished with a 13-11 conference record and had two players earn all conference honors. The 2025 team also surged academically with three players earning CSC Academic All-District honors.
During the 2024 season, Coach Williams eclipsed a major milestone, earning her 700th career coaching victory. The 2024 Thunderbirds softball team became one of the most successful teams in the program's recent history, finishing with a 21-29 record and making its first appearance in the WAC tournament, taking down rival Utah Tech to advance to the second round.
Under the guidance of Coach Williams, Southern Utah's softball team embarked on a remarkable journey of improvement from the 2023 to the 2024 seasons. The team's batting average soared by 20 points, and their slugging percentage surged by almost 50 points compared to the previous season. Moreover, the Thunderbirds hit twice as many home runs and scored 74 more runs than they did in the 2023 campaign, a testament to their dedication and the coach's strategic leadership.
In addition to the team's accomplishments on the field, Coach Williams has led the Thunderbirds to great success in the classroom. The 2024 team posted an incredible 11 National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America Scholar-Athlete Award recipients.
Over the past two seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, Coach Williams has helped develop players to achieve individual success. Two players have earned post-season accolades for their accomplishments in conference play. Numerous players have also found their way into the Southern Utah program record book during her tenure.
Before transitioning to the Western Athletic Conference, Williams led the Thunderbirds to the most wins in Big Sky play since the 2017 season during the 2021 season. The T-Birds went 10-8 and finished as the second-best team in the conference. They entered the Big Sky Championship Tournament as the No. 2 seed and made it all the way to the championship game, where they finished runners-up. The Thunderbirds won 20 games overall (20-30) for the first time since 2015 while also leading the Big Sky in home runs (60) and runs scored (259). The T-Birds also set a new program record for single-season slugging percentage, slugging .484 as a team.
Coach Williams's leadership also fostered the individual growth and success of her players. Three athletes, including Brooke Brown who was named Big Sky Top Newcomer of the Year and All-Conference First Team, were recognized on the 2021 Big Sky All-Conference team. Brown's outstanding performance broke the single-season home run record at Southern Utah, hitting 17 home runs in 2021. Her achievements, along with those of her teammates, reflect the team's talent and potential under Coach Williams's guidance.
In her first season with Southern Utah, the T-Birds went 5-14 before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three of their five wins came against Power Five conference teams. The Thunderbirds beat Oregon State 2-1, the University of Wisconsin 2-0, and Michigan State University 15-9. The team dropped its RPI 92 points from the year before, putting it under 200 for the first time in five years.
Prior to SUU, Williams was the head coach at North Idaho College. While in the Scenic West Athletic Conference with NIC, Williams coached 53 All-Region players and led teams to two consecutive Region 18 championships, earning them automatic berths to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series. Williams led teams to two national tournaments. In 2007, the Cardinals earned the highest team finish in the history of the NIC softball program, earning runners-up at the NJCAA National Tournament as she and her staff were named the 2007 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Western Region Coaching Staff of the Year Award.
In 2015, North Idaho transferred into the Northwest Athletic Conference, becoming eligible for championships in 2016. In 2018, the Cardinals brought home their first NWAC Championship and a season record of 50-3 to seal a program record for season wins. Since transitioning into the NWAC, the Cardinals have posted a 157-39 record. Williams has collected 661 total wins leading the Cardinals and has coached 5 NFCA All-Americans since 2016, including NWAC Player of the Year, Madi Mott in 2018. Williams earned NWAC East Region Coach of the Year in 2016 & 2018, and her staff was named National Fastpitch Coaching Staff of the Year for the NWAC in 2018.
Her education-first approach has resulted in 10 individual NJCAA Academic All-Americans and six Academic All-American teams.
Williams played softball at Linfield University in McMinnville, Oregon. She received both All-Conference and All-District honors and graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology/sociology in 1991. She earned a master's degree in adult/organizational learning and leadership in 2009 from the University of Idaho.
