The University of Hawai‘i has hired a new softball coach.
Longtime Long Beach State assistant coach Panita Thanatharn was announced as the program's new head coach on Wednesday, replacing Bob Coolen, who retired after the 2025 season.
"We are thrilled to welcome Panita to our athletics 'Ohana," acting athletics director Lois Manin said in a release. "She has a deep passion for the game and the competitive spirit to build a winning culture. We are confident that her integrity-based leadership and unmatched work ethic will inspire our student-athletes to grow on and off the field. She brings excitement to the future of our softball program."
"I am so pumped and honored to be the Head Softball Coach at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa," Thanatharn added in the release. "I'm grateful for the trust and confidence and I'm looking forward to the journey ahead! I can't wait to meet the team and learn about them and their families.
"Academically, Hawai'i is one of the top universities in the world, and paired with its breathtaking beauty, I'm confident we'll attract outstanding student-athletes who are just as exceptional off the field as they are on it. I'm ready to get to work and start building relationships and am committed to winning in the classroom, in the community, and on the field."
Thanatharn played collegiately at Long Beach State from 2002 to 2007, earning a master's degree from the school in 2008. After beginning her coaching career at her alma mater, she spent two years as an assistant coach at UNLV from 2009 to 2010.
Thanatharn then returned to Long Beach State in 2011. Since 2016, she was the associate head coach for The Beach, serving as the team's hitting coach while also assisting in recruiting.
Long Beach State went 27-22 in 2025, while Hawai‘i went 33-20 in 2025, taking down LBSU in the first round of the inaugural Big West Conference tournament.
Hawai‘i will play one last season in the Big West in 2026 before becoming full-time members of the Mountain West Conference.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
