Lilli Piper Joins Illinois Softball Staff as Assistant Coach
June 15, 2026 | Softball
NEWS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois head softball coach Jenna Hall announced the addition of Lilli Piper to her staff on Tuesday afternoon. Piper will assist with the offense and oversee the infielders and catchers.
"I am very excited to be joining the Fighting Illini famILLy," said Piper.
"To be part of such a great university and program is a true blessing. I can't wait to get on campus and start getting after it!"
Piper spent the last four seasons under Hall as an assistant at Ohio University, where she helped coach eight National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region selections, 14 All-Mid American Conference (MAC) selections, and more than 40 Academic All-MAC honorees.
Prior to her stint at Ohio, she spent one season on staff at Michigan State as a volunteer assistant, where she worked primarily with the infield.
During her collegiate playing career, Piper built a decorated resume, playing her freshman season at Akron (2016), before finishing her career at Ohio State (2017-19). Piper is just the second Buckeye in program history to earn All-American honors three times in her career, named to the NFCA third team in 2017, and the second team in 2018 and 2019.
She was also a three-time NFCA first team All-Region selection and unanimous first team All-Big Ten from 2017-19. In 2018, she was recognized as a top 25 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.
"When taking the head coach position at Illinois, I knew that Lilli was someone I wanted with me on this next step," shared Hall.
"Lilli and I have a long, deep-rooted history together and she has become my family on and off the field. Not only was she with me at Ohio as an assistant, but I was also her coach at Ohio State where she was a three time All-American. Lilli brings a strong and experienced career both as a player and as a coach. She is a former Big Ten player and also spent time playing with the Athletes Unlimited professional league. Her ability to connect with her players and get the absolute best out of them is one of the many things that make her a great coach. Her energy and enthusiasm will be noticeable from day one and she is one of the most trustworthy people I know. Lilli is a proven winner and knows what it takes to be successful in the Big Ten. I am pumped to have her join our FamILLy here at Illinois!"
A native of Norton, Ohio, Piper graduated from Ohio State in 2019 with her degree in human ecology and education.
