The University announced Wednesday that Tyra Perry was named the second ever Illinois softball head coach.

“I am passionate about the wonderful game of softball and will work tirelessly to help lead our program to prominence in the Big Ten and on the national stage,” Perry said in a press release. “I am thankful to Mike Thomas and the Fighting Illini family for giving me the opportunity to compete at the highest level. I am excited and ready to get to work.”

Perry most recently was the head coach at Ball State, where she amassed 67 wins in her two years. Perry was named MAC coach of the year in 2014.

She has also coached at Western Kentucky and Birmingham-Southern, according to the release. Before coaching, Perry played for the Louisiana State University.

The hiring comes after Terri Sullivan, the program’s inaugural coach, who retired after 16 seasons with the team.