Upper Iowa University Athletics

Laura North is returning to the baseline as the new head softball coach at Upper Iowa University. North was the head softball coach at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa from 2014 through 2018.
 
During her five seasons at Indian Hills, she served as the head coach for four years after joining as the associate head coach for the 2014 campaign. The Warriors won both the regular season conference title and Region XII Championships in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 with North leading the coaching staff. The team qualified for two NJCAA DI National Tournaments during her four years at the helm as well. North was named the NCJAA Region XII Coach of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
 
North competed for the Loper softball team at the University of Nebraska at Kearney from 1995-1999. The team qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships in each of her four seasons. As a junior and senior, she served the team as a captain and earned both the 1997 and 1998 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors. Prior to graduating, North was named the UNK Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. Since graduating, she has been selected to the RMAC All-Century Team and the UNK Hall of Fame and her 2017 Loper softball team was inducted into the RMAC Hall of Fame.
 
Most recently, North was the President of the Oskaloosa Indoor Sports Complex and the founder of Diamond Life, LLC which provides lessons, camps, clinics and mentoring for youth softball players.
 
Prior to her time in Ottumwa, North served as a part-time assistant coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa from 2010 through 2013.
 
North started her coaching career at the high school level with stops at Holdrege High School, Logan-Magnolia High School, and Des Moines Lincoln High School. All three jobs led to her earning the title of head softball coach at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas. At Cloud County, she took a 1-52 program to a record of 26-25 in just one season with only ten players on the roster.
 
Last season, the Peacock softball team went 24-28 (14-15 NSIC) and earned the program’s first postseason appearance since 2019. The Peacocks had record-setting offensive outputs in 2022 powered by All-American Katie Crogan.