Arizona State softball coach Trisha Ford hired away by Texas A&M
Arizona State athletics is losing one of its most successful coaches.
On Tuesday, Texas A&M announced the hiring of ASU softball’s Trisha Ford to serve as the Aggies’ ninth softball coach in program history. Jo Evans had been at the helm for more than 25 years, but her contract was not renewed after A&M’s season came to a close with a 20-0 loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA regionals last month.
We've got our leader 👍
Welcome to Aggieland, @Trisha_Ford ♥📰: https://t.co/0iJyjXn95L#GigEm pic.twitter.com/hL2dit2Fwk
— Texas A&M Softball (@AggieSoftball) June 7, 2022
“Trisha Ford is viewed as one of the very best softball coaches in the country and has done a phenomenal job at every stop in her career,” A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement. “College sports is about recruiting, player development and helping the student-athletes reach their full potential on and off the field, and we discovered that coach Ford epitomizes what it takes to lead at the highest level.”
Ford has been with the Sun Devils since 2017, posting a 212-89 record. In her six seasons, she’s been named Pac-12 Coach of the Year twice (2018, 2022) and led the Sun Devils to the Women’s College World Series once (2018).
Under her watch, ASU went 43-11 this past season and earned a trip to its 17th-straight NCAA Tournament thanks to a 28th-consecutive winning season. The Sun Devils won their third Pac-12 Championship and first since 2011, winning a program-record 20 league games. The season came to a rather unceremonious end, however, with a home loss in the Super Regionals to Northwestern.
“First and foremost, I want to thank Ross [Bjork], Kristen [Brown] and Jeff [Toole] for the opportunity to lead the Texas A&M softball program,” Ford said in a statement. “After spending time with them and talking about their vision for the program, it was clear our values aligned. You can feel the pride and tradition that runs through Aggieland. My family and I will embrace it and I can’t wait for us to become a part of the community.”
Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson will now look for a new coach to lead Sun Devil softball.