Aubrey Honeycutt is joining Upper Iowa University as the new head softball coach. Prior to her Peacock commitment, Honeycutt and her husband coached the Yellow Jackets at Black Hills State in Spearfish, S.D during the 2022-23 seasons.
 
"Aubrey brings a strong head coaching resume to our program at Upper Iowa," said UIU Vice President for Athletics Rick Hartzell. "She is a Midwest native who values exactly what we want to do here; grow and develop young ladies as people and softball players.  I am thrilled to have her and her husband here with us and offer the potential of long-term stability. Aubrey will lead us into the GLVC with a great deal of optimism and competitiveness."
 
At Black Hills State, she drove the team to an 8-36 record in 2023 and 13-29 (11-29 RMAC) mark in 2022. Under Honeycutt's tutelage, the Yellow Jackets improved their record from the 2021 season when they won three games. 
 
"I think that Coach North did a great job at establishing a culture rooted in family and community, intertwined with gritty, honest, and competitive attributes," said Head Coach Aubrey Honeycutt. "That is a culture that I plan to continue to build upon and guide in the right direction. Having a selfless and driven approach brings success on the field, but it also promotes good habits in life. Promoting overall growth in young women is my goal."
 
Prior to BHSU, Honeycutt had coached at Seward County Community College from 2019-2021, acting as the lead assistant coach and working with the head coach to assist in all day-to-day activities for the softball program. Some of her other responsibilities included serving as the pitching coach, planning and overseeing all recruiting, travel, community service, fundraising and social media efforts.
 
Before her time at Seward, she was the lead assistant coach at the University of Sioux Falls from 2018-2019 where she assisted the head coach by creating weekly practice schedules, constructing camp formats, organizing travel arrangements, and overseeing academic success.
 
Honeycutt began her coaching career at Iowa Western Community College from 2016-2018 as the lead assistant coach.
 
Prior to her coaching career, she played collegiate softball at three different schools: Iowa Western, Rogers State and Morningside College. At Iowa Western, she was named the 2014 ICCAC Pitcher of the Year and received recognition as an NJCAA All-American and Academic All-American.
 
At Rogers State, she was named 2015 Heartland Academic All-Conference, but ended her season short due to injury. She concluded her playing career in 2016 at Morningside, earning All-Conference honors while being named the GPAC Pitcher of the Year and NAIA All-American. Honeycutt received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Peru State College in 2017. 
 
"I would like to extend a big thank you to both Rick Hartzell and Sarah Swanson for giving me this opportunity to lead a great group of young women," said Honeycutt. "I would also like to thank the entire athletic department for making Upper Iowa feel like home upon arrival. I am so excited to arrive in Fayette and get to work."
 
Upper Iowa went 9-16 in the NSIC and 17-26 overall in their 2022-23 campaign. The Peacocks return five players that hit above .300 during this past season. They welcome back Laila Pelds (.396, 53 hits, 29 RBI, 5 HR) Ari Charles (.382, .474 slugging, 58 hits, 36 SB, 33 runs), Kylie Doty (.355, 39 hits, 18 RBI), Taylor Sedam (.320, .448 slugging, 40 hits, 20 RBI), and Rae VanMilligan (.303, .402 slugging, 37 hits, 28 RBI). UIU will also return plenty of experience in the circle with no seniors among the four pitchers that toed the rubber this past season.