Get to Know Iowa Softball Coach Stacy May-Johnson

PHOTO: Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com Stacy May-Johnson, Iowa's softball head coach, watches from the dugout as the Hawkeyes take on Iowa State at Bob Pearl Field.

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PHOTO: Stephen Mally/hawkeyesports.com During her time as an Iowa student-athlete, Stacy May-Johnson was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and was 2003 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

Stacy May-Johnson (07BBA, 07BS) has always had a knack for numbers.

It started during her time at the University of Iowa, where she was a double major in accounting and physics.

“I really thought I would end up in the business world, but after an internship during my junior year, I knew that a desk job wasn’t for me,” says May-Johnson, the first-year head coach for Iowa softball. “If coaching hadn’t worked out, I was planning on going into academia or research.”

While she’s been coaching for nearly 20 years, May-Johnson has used her academic expertise to her advantage. Analytics has changed many college sports, including softball, and she uses it for in-game strategy, player development, recruitment, and much more.

“I think of softball in terms of numbers, and the shift toward analytics has been a simple one for me,” says May-Johnson. “There is some benefit in terms of being crafty with numbers.”

May-Johnson is striving to re-energize a proud University of Iowa softball program—one that has four Women’s College World Series appearances, 16 NCAA tournament appearances, and six Big Ten regular season and conference tournament titles. She was shortstop on a Big Ten regular season and tournament title team in 2003, and all four of her teams reached the NCAA regionals under legendary coach Gayle Blevins.

“I got to play here for Coach Blevins, and we had some great teams,” says May-Johnson, who served as head coach previously at Utah Valley and Fresno State. “I completely fell in love with Iowa. Now, coming back here 20 years later, it means so much to me to be here. It’s an incredible privilege to be a Big Ten softball coach, and I know Iowa softball means so much to our alumni, the people around the program, and the Hawkeye State.”

Since being named head coach on May 28, 2025, May-Johnson has been aiming to reestablish Iowa as a top choice for in-state softball recruits.

“My goal, when I came in, was to start aggressively recruiting the state of Iowa,” she says. “That hasn’t been the case in the past. There are so many great softball players who grow up wanting to be Hawkeyes, and I want to give them every chance to make that happen.”

Her goal for the future is to create a championship culture both on the field and in the classroom.

“I want our student-athletes to know what it means to be a Hawkeye—what it means to love this school and bleed black and gold,” says May-Johnson. “What we do on the field is very important, but it’s equally important to get a great education and enjoy the time surrounded by people you love. That was my experience at Iowa—and I want them to have the same.”

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