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Omaha Athletics

Mike Heard Headshot 2025

Mike Heard

Experience
  • Head Softball Coach, Omaha (NCAA Division I - Summit League) - 2021-Present
  • Head Softball Coach, Midland (NAIA) - 2015-21
  • Head Softball Coach, Marian High School (Omaha, Neb.) - 2013-15
  • Program Director and Head Coach, Nebraska Fury Fastpitch/Gold - 2007-17
Personal
  • Omaha native
  • Bachelor of Science, Exercise Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  • Heard's daughter Katie is the head softball coach at Millard South High School and his brother Bill is the head softball coach at Gretna High School
At Omaha
  • Hired as the ninth head coach in program history on Aug. 24, 2021
  • Record of 148-59 (.715) after the 2025 season
  • Omaha softball has won three-consecutive Summit League tournament titles (2023, 2024 and 2025)
    • Omaha has appeared in the Summit League title game in each of Heard's four years
  • Three straight NCAA tournament berths (2023, 2024 and 2025)
    • Omaha has been a three-seed in two of those appearances (2023 and 2025)
  • Since 2022, Omaha has emerged victorious against Autonomous Four institutions (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) 13 times, including NCAA tournament wins
  • The Mavericks have won at least one NCAA tournament game in each of the program's three postseason berths
  • In 2025, the Mavericks earned a share of the Summit League Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history
  • Omaha's 2025 RPI of 46 is the lowest in program history
  • The 2025 Mavericks finished the season ranked No. 9 in the D1 Softball Mid-Major Poll, the highest ranking in program history
  • Omaha finished the 2025 season with a team fielding percentage of .981, the third best in the country
  • Named 2024 Summit League Coach of the Year
  • In 2024, Omaha advanced to the Columbia Regional final, falling to the host Mizzou Tigers in the deciding game
  • Heard's team boasted the nation's longest win streak in 2024, emerging victorious in 16 straight contests, mixing in wins over Arizona, Nebraska and Purdue
  • The 2023 Mavericks were the first-ever women's team at Omaha to win a game in the NCAA tournament in the institution's Division I era
  • The 2022 season, Heard's first, saw Omaha post the team's best Division I season at the time, with the most victories since 2014 (32) and 17 league wins (most in DI era)
  • Heard led the Mavericks to four conference series sweeps in 2022 (North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas City and Western Illinois), marking the first time since 2016 Omaha softball completed a series sweep
  • In Heard's tenure, Omaha has collected:
    • 28 All-Summit League honors
    • Back-to-back Summit League Pitchers of the Year
    • Back-to-back Summit League Defensive Players of the Year
  • Omaha has placed two or more players on the NFCA All-Region Teams in three of Heard's four seasons
  • Five Mavericks have earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® honors with one (Sydney Ross) earning a spot on prestigious CSC Academic All-America® Second Team
    • Maggie O'Brien was a finalist for the 2025 CSC Academic All-America® teams
  • 49 Mavericks have been named NFCA Scholar-Athletes since 2022 and the team boasts a cumulative GPA of 3.683 since Heard's arrival
  • In 2023 and 2025, Omaha softball finished with an NFCA/Easton Top 10 GPA in all of Division I with the 2025 team ranking No. 3 (3.787 GPA).
Midland Highlights
  • 147-92 record over five seasons
  • Captured three GPAC Regular Season Championships in five seasons - 2018, 2019 and 2021 (2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
  • 2021 GPAC Tournament Champions
  • Led the Warriors to three NAIA national tournament appearances (2018, 2019 and 2021)
  • Three-time GPAC Coach of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021)
  • Midland student-athletes captured 15 First Team All-Conference and 11 Second Team All-Conference selections with Heard as head coach
  • Two GPAC Player of the Year selections
  • Two GPAC Pitcher of the Year selections
  • Average team GPA of 3.49 over six years
Marian High School Highlights
  • Three seasons as Crusaders head coach
  • Won the 2015 NSAA Class A State Championship, the school's first-ever title
  • In 2014, led Marian to the program's first state tournament appearance in eight years, finishing as state runner-up
Nebraska Fury/Gold Highlights
  • Head coach of the Nebraska Fury Fastpitch/Gold travel softball team for 10 seasons
  • Heard's 2015 Nebraska Gold 16U team won the ASA/USA 16U Gold National Championship, becoming the first championship team from the state of Nebraska
  • Nebraska Fury teams have consistently finished in the top 20 of major softball championships since its inception
Honors
  • 2024 Summit League Coach of the Year
  • Three-time GPAC Coach of the Year (Midland) - 2018, 2019 and 2021