After leading the Lady Toppers to their most successful season in school history, coach Tyra Perry has accepted the head coaching position at Ball State, WKU said in a statement Tuesday.

Perry helped the Lady Toppers earn their first Sun Belt Conference regular season title and NCAA Tournament appearance this season. WKU finished the year 43-18 before falling to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament Tuscaloosa Regional championship game.

Perry came to WKU in 2008 after serving as coach at Birmingham-Southern for six years. A former softball player at Louisiana State, Perry was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year twice in her six years coaching the Lady Toppers and leaves WKU with a record of 196-146-1.

Athletics Director Todd Stewart said in a statement that WKU wishes Perry well in the future.

“We certainly wish Tyra all the best as she assumes the head coaching position at Ball State, a program that has won the Mid-American Conference championship in four of the last five seasons,” he said. “We thank her for her many contributions to WKU over the last six seasons, and she leaves our program in a good position both athletically and academically.”

Stewart’s statement also said WKU has already started looking for someone to replace Perry.

“Our 2013 Sun Belt Conference regular season championship and NCAA Tournament appearance marked the first in program history, and we are committed to adding to each of those totals in the seasons ahead,” he said. “Our search for her successor has begun, and we will hire the individual best prepared to lead our program to new heights.”