Softball Adds Laurin Watts To Coaching Staff

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Carolina Softball head coach Megan Smith Lyon announced the hiring of new pitching coach Laurin Watts this morning.

"Finding the right leader for our bullpen was one of the most important decisions we could make this offseason, and we're confident we found exactly that in Laurin," Coach Smith said. "We're thrilled to welcome Laurin to Carolina."

Watts arrives in Chapel Hill after two seasons at Southern Illinois. She led one of the Missouri Valley Conference's top pitching staffs in 2026, finishing the season with a team ERA of 2.91. This ranked second in the league. Against MVC opponents, SIU's ERA was 2.11, also ranking second in the MVC. Two pitchers received All-Conference recognition at the end of the year as Brooklynn Danielson was named the MVC Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-MVC First Team, while Emily Delgado was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year.

"She has a proven track record of developing elite pitchers and maximizing their potential, but what stood out even more throughout this process was who she is as a person. She's an outstanding communicator, builds genuine relationships with her players, and brings an energy and passion that will make an immediate impact on our program," Smith Lyon added.

In her first season in the role, the SIU pitching staff had the second-best team ERA in the MVC at 3.18. Southern Illinois won its second consecutive MVC regular season championship in 2025.

Before Southern Illinois, Watts spent five seasons at Southern Utah. In the fall of 2023, Watts was promoted to Associate Head Coach of the Thunderbirds.

During her time in Cedar City, Watts worked with both the pitching and catching staffs, and also served as the program's lead recruiter.

"Laurin is also an exceptional recruiter who understands what it takes to build a championship-caliber staff. She aligns perfectly with the culture and standards we've established at Carolina, and I have no doubt she'll be an outstanding leader for our bullpen. We're excited to have her join our staff and can't wait to see the impact she'll have on our student-athletes, both on and off the field."

Before arriving at Southern Utah, Watts was the head softball coach and department head of the physical education department at Prattville High School in Alabama. There, Watts' team won two-straight area championships and made back-to-back regional appearances in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, the program also reached the state championship tournament.

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

As a student-athlete, Watts played softball at Adelphi University in New York from 2010 to 2013. During her time as a Panther, Watts was a two-time NE-10 Pitcher of the Week, made the NE-10 Third Team All-Conference in 2013, and was named to the NE-10 All-Tournament Team. Watts graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education in 2013.

Watts is from Birmingham, Alabama.

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Related News

Related Videos