Julia Tamai named head coach for Ventura College Pirate softball program

VENTURA - Ventura College Pirate Athletics is pleased to announce Julia Tamai has been named the Pirates' new head softball coach. Tamai most recently was the head coach at Oxnard's new Del Sol High School, directing formation of the Jaguars' new program for the past year.

Tamai previously spent 11 years as an assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara from 2010-2017 and 2019-2022. She has also directed the SoCal Athletics' 18u travel team since 2018 leading the team to numerous regional and national awards and achievements. Tamai has been a private softball instructor since 2010.

A standout athlete at Cornerstone Christian High School in Camarillo, Tamai was a four-time first-team all-conference honoree in softball in addition to being an outstanding basketball and volleyball. The Oxnard native capped off her prep career by earning the CIF-SS Div. VI Player of the Year Award and she was Cornerstone Christian's Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.

Tamai started her collegiate career in 1999 at Wright State University in Dayton, OH where she played two seasons for the Raiders. She was named second-team All-Midwest Collegiate Conference and made the MCC's all-freshman team in her rookie campaign before becoming the ninth-toughest batter to strike out in the NCAA, as she only struck out twice all season as a sophomore. Tamai also made the Virginia Classic all-tournament team her second year.

Tamai transferred to UC Santa Barbara prior to the 2001 season. She played sparingly during her junior year but came on strong in her senior season with the Gauchos. She was named first team All-Big West in 2002 after leading UCSB with 58 hits and a .307 batting average. She was also named the team's MVP her senior year. Despite a two-season career at UCSB, Tamai was selected as a member of the program's All-Decade Team.

Tamai earned her bachelor's degree from UCSB in 2003, majoring in history with a minor in sports management. She has worked for the Tamai Family Farms in Oxnard for 21 years.

(Robin Hester, Ventura College Athletics)