Upper Dublin High School Coach Heather Boyer named Pennsylvania’s Softball Coach of the Year

Upper Dublin High School is proud to announce that Coach Heather Boyer has earned the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (PIAA) title of Pennsylvania Softball Coach of the Year. Serving the school district as both a high school science faculty member and athletic coach for over 20 years, Boyer has dedicated herself to inspiring students to excel both on the field and in life.

With Coach Boyer, her practices begin with 15 minutes of talking about topics that are not softball. She shares a ‘question of the day’ to start conversations and to help the team get to know each other.

“I want to create an environment where the kids enjoy the sport and want to continue to play. I want them to feel empowered to be the best they can be, both as athletes and as role models for those around them,” said Boyer.

When asked about her colleague and fellow coach, Upper Dublin Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Coach Dee Cross shared, “In both her coaching and her teaching, Heather covers every detail in her preparation and does it with a passion that she carries onto the field. Her team might not always have more talent than their opponents, but I can guarantee they have more heart,” said Cross.  “Heather prepares them to play for the love of the game, and she leads by example.”

    Image courtesy of Upper Dublin School District
  

For Boyer, one of the most important aspects of her program is the team’s community service projects. Committed to promoting the importance of mental health for athletes, the team supports the “Strike Out the Stigma” program to build awareness and to fundraise for Abbey’s Bakery, an organization providing resources for those facing mental health challenges.

While building resiliency, grit, and perseverance in her athletes is Boyer’s highest priority, that is not to say that she is not a competitive athlete and coach. For years, she worked hard to bring the Upper Dublin High School Softball program to a more competitive level. In 2023, she and her players saw that hard work come to fruition, when Upper Dublin Softball was ranked Number One for the District 1 Playoffs for the first time ever and was among the only eight teams who made it to the state quarter-finals.

For Upper Dublin High School senior and softball player Isabella Fiore, Coach Boyer was the leading force behind that exciting achievement for the softball program.

“I think that the deep run we had in our 2022-2023 season into the second round of state playoffs is a prime example of [Boyer’s] coaching abilities. My freshman year was rough to say the least, considering we didn't even make the playoffs. But between working in the offseason and building on each player's talents, the next year we made it the furthest our softball program has gone in history,” said Fiore.

She continued, “There are so many words I could use to describe that season, but I think the biggest one was simply just ‘fun.’ We had great chemistry on the field, and Boyer made it a point to enjoy the historic moment as a group.”

For those watching in the bleachers, you can spot Boyer’s moments of competitiveness through pencils. Yes, pencils. 

“Every game, I keep a pitch count with a pencil and use my ponytail as a pencil holder. You can tell my stress-level by the number of pencils in my hair.” Always keeping things light, she will often remind her team, “I tell them they can’t let me have more than three in there!”

    Image courtesy of Upper Dublin School District
  

Coach Boyer on the sidelines with just one pencil in her hair.

Boyer started playing softball at the age of five and continued to play up through collegiate athletics for Ursinus College. While she was taking some time after college to consider a career in medicine, she was offered a teaching position at Upper Dublin High School. Immediately finding her way into athletics, coaching field hockey, basketball, and softball all in her first year, Boyer found a career that enabled her to teach the science content that she could use to inspire future healthcare professionals and to continue her passions in athletics as a coach.

When asked about what being named Pennsylvania Softball Coach of the Year means to her, Boyer said, “It’s humbling because I know there are so many great coaches in the sport throughout the state with much stronger records. For PIAA to recognize coaches who put the time in to promote a positive environment and instill good values through sport is amazing.” She continued, “Ultimately, it really validates after all these years that I am right where I’m supposed to be.”

Boyer expresses her gratitude to PIAA and to UDHS Athletic Director Matt Heiland, who nominated her for the Pennsylvania Softball Coach of the Year Award.