Texas A&M set to hire Arizona State's Trisha Ford as softball head coach

Texas A&M Athletics is set to hire Trisha Ford as the ninth head coach of Aggie softball.

Ford has spent the last six seasons as head coach of Arizona State University and will inherit the A&M program from Jo Evans, whose contract was not renewed after 26 seasons following the team’s exit from the NCAA Tournament in May.

Third Round Softball was first to report the hire, and TexAgs’ co-owner and executive editor Billy Liucci confirmed that Ford is headed to Aggieland.

Since Ford’s 31-22 debut with the Sun Devils in 2017, she accumulated a 212-89 record and is a two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year winner (2018, 2022). She boasts a 397-226-1 (.637) overall record, having spent six seasons between Fresno State and Saint Mary’s before arriving in Tempe.

The California native led ASU to the NCAA postseason every year during her tenure in addition to a third-place finish in the 2018 Women’s College World Series plus two 40-win seasons and three regional hosting spots.

Alex Gould/The Republic

Ford’s team was one win away from the 2022 WCWS after losing the last of a three-game super regional vs. Northwestern.

Ford’s Sun Devils pieced together a 43-11 season in 2022 and were 20-4 en route to the Pac-12 regular-season conference title. As the #8 national seed, ASU defeated San Diego State 8-4 in the Tempe Regional finals before falling to Northwestern in super regionals.

Prior to ASU, Ford first began her coaching career at her alma mater as a hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at Saint Mary’s in 2001.

That November, she took the reins of the program as interim head coach following the resignation of Chelle Putzer and was soon promoted to her first head coaching position.

One season later, she embarked on a nine-year stint at Stanford as a pitching coach from 2004-08 and associate head coach under John Rittman (2009-12).

The Cardinal averaged 43 wins per season and made six super regional appearances and one trip to the WCWS with Ford on the coaching staff as she contributed to a 385-155 (.713) overall record.

In 2013, Ford took the head coaching position at Fresno State. She compiled a 143-73-1 (.661) record in four seasons and built teams consistently ranked among the nation’s best in batting average and fielding percentage.

Ford garnered back-to-back Mountain West Coach of the Year recognitions from 2015-16 after leading the Bulldogs to two straight regular-season crowns and a remarkable nation-leading 23-game win streak in 2016.

The 44-year-old’s success on the diamond also extends to the international level, having served as an assistant coach for the 2016 gold medal Junior National Team. She is also regularly involved in USA Softball.

As a player, Ford is considered the greatest softball player in Saint Mary’s history and is the only female student-athlete to have had her number retired by the school.

She graduated with a politics degree in 1999 and was later inducted into the Saint Mary’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. Ford leads the Gaels all-time in batting average (.364), hits (230), RBIs (114) and doubles (62).

Though the Maroon & White have struggled heavily since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2013, Ford’s proven ability to build a program from scratch will be invaluable as the Aggies hope to claim a spot amongst softball’s best.