Staff Directory
Mowatt-McKinney, Taryne
Taryne Mowatt-McKinney
- Title:
- Assistant Softball Coach
- Email:
Taryne Mowatt-McKinney, a former All-American pitcher and the 2007 Women’s College World Series Most Valuable Player, was hired as Mississippi State’s pitching coach on June 30, 2023.
In her first season, she revolutionized the Bulldog pitching staff, leading them to top-25 marks nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (9th), walks allowed (7th), walk rate (9th) and WHIP (17th) and top-35 totals in strikeout rate (27th) and strikeouts per seven innings (31st).
After posting just eight complete games as a team in 2023, Aspen Wesley and Josey Marron combined for 20 of State’s 23 complete games under Mowatt-McKinney in 2024. Both Marron and Wesley threw no-hitters that year along with Matalasi Faapito, giving State its most no-hitters in a year since 2006 when three pitchers threw four.
Wesley went on to earn Second Team All-SEC honors after she posted a career-high 15 wins and four of her seven career shutouts. After entering the year with just two career SEC victories, Wesley tied the school record with nine in her final season while setting career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts. She was twice named NCAA Pitcher of the Week after earning two complete-game victories against ranked opponents both times.
Mowatt-McKinney came to Starkville from Arizona, her alma mater, where she had spent the previous six seasons on staff. She also brought SEC experience after coaching for two years at Ole Miss.
In her six seasons at Arizona, the Wildcats made three consecutive trips to the WCWS (2019-22) and enjoyed their best pitching seasons since Mowatt-McKinney herself was in the circle. Arizona posted three straight seasons with sub-2.00 staff ERAs from 2018-2020, something that had not been accomplished since 2006-2008, her sophomore-senior seasons.
She guided Wildcat pitchers to a pair of All-American honors, three all-region awards and seven All-Pac-12 honors. In addition, both Taylor McQuillin and Alyssa Denham went on to professional careers with Athletes Unlimited.
Mowatt-McKinney guided a pitching staff that did not lose a game through the Regional and Super Regional rounds back to the WCWS in 2022. That year, she was a part of the program that eliminated Mississippi State in the Starkville Super Regional. The following year, she helped staff ace Devyn Netz double her strikeout total, sitting down 135 batters in 171.1 innings in 2023.
In 2021, Mowatt-McKinney helped Denham post a 1.95 ERA and seven shutouts in her senior campaign. Denham posted sub-2.00 ERAs in all three seasons in Tucson and was named an NFCA All-American under her guidance.
In the shortened 2020 season Arizona's pitchers had compiled a 1.73 ERA, which ranked No. 15 nationally. In 2019, the Wildcats were even better in the circle, finishing sixth in the NCAA with a 1.61 ERA and holding opponents to a .183 average, the lowest opposing batting average at Arizona since 2006. The pitching staff led the Wildcats back to the Women's College World Series for the first of three straight trips, and McQuillin was named a First Team All-American for the first time in her career.
In her first season back in Tucson, Mowatt-McKinney’s pitchers turned in a 1.94 ERA and a .193 opposing batting average while McQuillin led the nation in shutouts (15).
Prior to coaching at her alma mater, Mowatt-McKinney spent two years in the SEC at rival Ole Miss, where her overhaul of the pitching staff helped lead a turnaround in the Rebels program. When she took over as pitching coach, she inherited a staff that totaled a 4.30 ERA in 2015. Her pitchers improved by more than a run to 3.26 in 2016, and shaved off even more in 2017 to 2.10, knocking off more than two runs (2.20) in just two seasons.
In 2016, the Rebels made their first NCAA Tournament appearance. In her second, they won the SEC Tournament Championship, hosted NCAA Regionals and reached the Super Regionals for the first time in school history. Under her leadership, the pitching staff set records for wins, innings pitched and complete games.
The Rebels won a school-record 41 games in her first season. The next year, they improved to 43 wins while recording a school-record 17 shutouts.
Mowatt-McKinney was responsible for turning two-time JUCO All-American Kaitlin Lee into the SEC Tournament MVP and an All-SEC arm. In just two years, Lee climbed into the Ole Miss top 10 in wins, shutouts, ERA, innings pitched, games started, opposing batting average and complete games before being selected by the Aussie Spirit in the 2018 NPF Draft.
Behind Lee, Morgan Bruce became the school’s first pitcher to be named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2017. Brittany Finney, a transfer from Oklahoma, posted a 6-1 record with a 1.80 ERA.
Mowatt-McKinney began her collegiate coaching career at California Baptist (2012-14). There she helped the team to NCAA Regional appearances each year and two PacWest Conference championships in 2012 and 2014. Her pitching staff was made up of program-record holders for wins, innings pitched and complete games. She also coached a conference pitcher of the year, freshman pitcher of the year and three all-conference honorees.
As a player, Mowatt-McKinney was the ace of back-to-back national championship teams for Arizona in 2006 and 2007. She earned WCWS MVP honors in 2007 after putting together one of the best weeks in the circle that the sport has ever seen. She set WCWS records for innings pitched (60), strikeouts (76) and complete games (8), while leading the Wildcats to their eighth national title. She later won a pair of ESPYs for her performance and was named a Second Team All-American.
The Corona, California, native won exactly 100 games in her Wildcat career. Her 100-33 career record ranks seventh in Arizona history, and she is second in school history in both strikeouts (1,267) and innings pitched (877.2). She threw six no-hitters, including a perfect game.
Her 42 victories, 522 strikeouts and 370.0 innings pitched in 2007 remain Pac-12 records. In all, Mowatt-McKinney posted a 1.54 ERA over 147 appearances as a Wildcat. She closed her career with the program record for single-game strikeouts (20) as well as single-season records in strikeouts (522), complete games (50), innings pitched (370.0) and wins (42).
Following her collegiate career, Mowatt was selected in the first round of the 2008 NPF Draft as the No. 6 overall pick by the Washington Glory. She played for five teams throughout her six years as a professional, including one season in Holland competing for the Den Bosch Gryphons.
Mowatt-McKinney graduated from Arizona in 2009 with her degree in communications. In December of 2019, she married former North Carolina catcher Brittany McKinney. She gave birth to her son, Lincoln, in January of 2022.
In her first season, she revolutionized the Bulldog pitching staff, leading them to top-25 marks nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (9th), walks allowed (7th), walk rate (9th) and WHIP (17th) and top-35 totals in strikeout rate (27th) and strikeouts per seven innings (31st).
After posting just eight complete games as a team in 2023, Aspen Wesley and Josey Marron combined for 20 of State’s 23 complete games under Mowatt-McKinney in 2024. Both Marron and Wesley threw no-hitters that year along with Matalasi Faapito, giving State its most no-hitters in a year since 2006 when three pitchers threw four.
Wesley went on to earn Second Team All-SEC honors after she posted a career-high 15 wins and four of her seven career shutouts. After entering the year with just two career SEC victories, Wesley tied the school record with nine in her final season while setting career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts. She was twice named NCAA Pitcher of the Week after earning two complete-game victories against ranked opponents both times.
Mowatt-McKinney came to Starkville from Arizona, her alma mater, where she had spent the previous six seasons on staff. She also brought SEC experience after coaching for two years at Ole Miss.
In her six seasons at Arizona, the Wildcats made three consecutive trips to the WCWS (2019-22) and enjoyed their best pitching seasons since Mowatt-McKinney herself was in the circle. Arizona posted three straight seasons with sub-2.00 staff ERAs from 2018-2020, something that had not been accomplished since 2006-2008, her sophomore-senior seasons.
She guided Wildcat pitchers to a pair of All-American honors, three all-region awards and seven All-Pac-12 honors. In addition, both Taylor McQuillin and Alyssa Denham went on to professional careers with Athletes Unlimited.
Mowatt-McKinney guided a pitching staff that did not lose a game through the Regional and Super Regional rounds back to the WCWS in 2022. That year, she was a part of the program that eliminated Mississippi State in the Starkville Super Regional. The following year, she helped staff ace Devyn Netz double her strikeout total, sitting down 135 batters in 171.1 innings in 2023.
In 2021, Mowatt-McKinney helped Denham post a 1.95 ERA and seven shutouts in her senior campaign. Denham posted sub-2.00 ERAs in all three seasons in Tucson and was named an NFCA All-American under her guidance.
In the shortened 2020 season Arizona's pitchers had compiled a 1.73 ERA, which ranked No. 15 nationally. In 2019, the Wildcats were even better in the circle, finishing sixth in the NCAA with a 1.61 ERA and holding opponents to a .183 average, the lowest opposing batting average at Arizona since 2006. The pitching staff led the Wildcats back to the Women's College World Series for the first of three straight trips, and McQuillin was named a First Team All-American for the first time in her career.
In her first season back in Tucson, Mowatt-McKinney’s pitchers turned in a 1.94 ERA and a .193 opposing batting average while McQuillin led the nation in shutouts (15).
Prior to coaching at her alma mater, Mowatt-McKinney spent two years in the SEC at rival Ole Miss, where her overhaul of the pitching staff helped lead a turnaround in the Rebels program. When she took over as pitching coach, she inherited a staff that totaled a 4.30 ERA in 2015. Her pitchers improved by more than a run to 3.26 in 2016, and shaved off even more in 2017 to 2.10, knocking off more than two runs (2.20) in just two seasons.
In 2016, the Rebels made their first NCAA Tournament appearance. In her second, they won the SEC Tournament Championship, hosted NCAA Regionals and reached the Super Regionals for the first time in school history. Under her leadership, the pitching staff set records for wins, innings pitched and complete games.
The Rebels won a school-record 41 games in her first season. The next year, they improved to 43 wins while recording a school-record 17 shutouts.
Mowatt-McKinney was responsible for turning two-time JUCO All-American Kaitlin Lee into the SEC Tournament MVP and an All-SEC arm. In just two years, Lee climbed into the Ole Miss top 10 in wins, shutouts, ERA, innings pitched, games started, opposing batting average and complete games before being selected by the Aussie Spirit in the 2018 NPF Draft.
Behind Lee, Morgan Bruce became the school’s first pitcher to be named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2017. Brittany Finney, a transfer from Oklahoma, posted a 6-1 record with a 1.80 ERA.
Mowatt-McKinney began her collegiate coaching career at California Baptist (2012-14). There she helped the team to NCAA Regional appearances each year and two PacWest Conference championships in 2012 and 2014. Her pitching staff was made up of program-record holders for wins, innings pitched and complete games. She also coached a conference pitcher of the year, freshman pitcher of the year and three all-conference honorees.
As a player, Mowatt-McKinney was the ace of back-to-back national championship teams for Arizona in 2006 and 2007. She earned WCWS MVP honors in 2007 after putting together one of the best weeks in the circle that the sport has ever seen. She set WCWS records for innings pitched (60), strikeouts (76) and complete games (8), while leading the Wildcats to their eighth national title. She later won a pair of ESPYs for her performance and was named a Second Team All-American.
The Corona, California, native won exactly 100 games in her Wildcat career. Her 100-33 career record ranks seventh in Arizona history, and she is second in school history in both strikeouts (1,267) and innings pitched (877.2). She threw six no-hitters, including a perfect game.
Her 42 victories, 522 strikeouts and 370.0 innings pitched in 2007 remain Pac-12 records. In all, Mowatt-McKinney posted a 1.54 ERA over 147 appearances as a Wildcat. She closed her career with the program record for single-game strikeouts (20) as well as single-season records in strikeouts (522), complete games (50), innings pitched (370.0) and wins (42).
Following her collegiate career, Mowatt was selected in the first round of the 2008 NPF Draft as the No. 6 overall pick by the Washington Glory. She played for five teams throughout her six years as a professional, including one season in Holland competing for the Den Bosch Gryphons.
Mowatt-McKinney graduated from Arizona in 2009 with her degree in communications. In December of 2019, she married former North Carolina catcher Brittany McKinney. She gave birth to her son, Lincoln, in January of 2022.
SOCCER | Nick Zimmerman and Players Media Session
Wednesday, September 10
FOOTBALL | Anthony Evans III Game Week vs. Alcorn State Media Session
Monday, September 08
FOOTBALL | Nic Mitchell Game Week vs. Alcorn State Media Session
Monday, September 08
FOOTBALL | Canon Boone Game Week vs. Alcorn State Media Session
Monday, September 08
