CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois Head Softball Coach Tyra Perry announced on Friday the addition of Brendan Goler as an assistant coach to the Fighting Illini program. Goler previously served as an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Minnesota Morris.
"Please join us in welcoming Brendan Goler to our coaching staff," said Perry. "As a strategic and forward-thinking coach, Brendan's roots in softball bring a unique perspective to our team. His areas of focus include defensive play as well as supporting our pitchers and catchers. Brendan demonstrates a dedication to excellence that will surely elevate and positively impact our program."
Goler started as an assistant coach for the softball and women's soccer programs at Minnesota Morris in 2016. He transitioned to assist the men's soccer program in 2018 while also being promoted to being the associate head coach for the softball program at that time. Prior to the 2023 season, Goler left the men's soccer program to focus solely on softball.
Goler made an immediate impact at Minnesota Morris during the 2017 season with the softball team jumping into the top-10 in the record books in 14 categories and ended the season with three student-athletes earning spots on the All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) teams.
Most recently under Goler's guidance, Minnesota Morris set the program record for wins with 28 in 2024 and added the longest winning streak in program history with 18-straight victories. With a 15-3 UMAC record, the Cougars earned a share of the regular-season title for the first time in program history.
With Goler's help, the 2024 team set new records for total hits (374), stolen bases (79), RBI (226), runs scored (264), walks drawn (122), strikeouts (254), and ERA (2.63).
During his eight seasons with the program, Goler helped athletes receive 21 all-conference honors and 68 academic all-conference accolades. In his final season, Minnesota Morris placed two on the NFCA All-Region Team, the first Cougars to ever receive the honor.
"I am incredibly thankful to Coach Perry for this opportunity," shared Goler. "I am thrilled to be able to return to my home state of Illinois and to join the Big Ten. I am very excited to work with our high-achieving student-athletes, and I cannot wait to get to campus and to get to work."
A graduate of Benedictine University, Goler played three seasons on the men's soccer team and served as the kicker for the football team for the 2013 campaign. Goler received Academic All-NACC recognition in his sophomore season and was a three-time NACC Scholar-Athlete in his three seasons suiting up for the Eagles.
Goler graduated from Benedictine University in May of 2014 with a bachelor's degree in bilingual journalism (Spanish) and added a master's degree in education from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2020.
After his college days at Benedictine, Goler briefly played and practiced as a reserve for Concepcion of the Chilean Professional B league.
