Joy Milkowski - Assistant Coach - Softball Coaches - University of Memphis Athletics

Joy Milkowski

Title:
Assistant Coach

Milkowski joins the Tigers in September 2024 after previously working with Prater at Campbell University, serving as the Director of Player Development.

"Coach Milkowski was my Player Development Coach at Campbell University and I'm excited to elevate her to my third Assistant Coach position," said Head Coach Trena Prater. "Her energy and passion for the game will help elevate our players on and off the field. She will help us make an instant impact on our team's mental game, which will translate to wins. I'm blessed to have her on our coaching staff."

In her first season with the Tigers in 2025, Memphis saw a vast improvement, securing 19 wins, the most in a single season for Memphis since 2019. Memphis' five conference wins were also the most since the 2018 season. Memphis also recorded its third American Athletic Conference Tournament victory with a 6-5 win over seventh-seeded UAB, which was also the first tournament win since 2018.

Working primarily with outfielders, Milkowski helped develop a strong mindset for the Memphis outfield, resulting in nine outfield assists with runners being thrown out attempting to advance, including two double plays from Arianna Cox-Cole, who also led the team with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 74 total chances.

Prior to her time serving as the Director of Player Development at Campbell, Milkowski worked as a freelance performance coach from 2016 to 2022. She also coached softball at Highlands Ranch High School in Colo. from 2016 to 2018.

Milkowski founded Access Marketing in 2006 and continues to serve as the founding partner. She also founded Team Colorado Rawlings Softball Club in 2016 and coached them until 2020. She helped the flagship team achieve a No. 3 national rank.

She graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree in Journalism, while also featuring on two Jayhawk teams that reached the NCAA postseason.