Texas A&M Softball Hires Arizona State coach Trisha Ford

Former Arizona State coach replaces longtime Aggies coach Jo Evans

Texas A&M softball has new coach at the helm for the first time in 26 years.

The Aggies have hired Arizona State's Trisha Ford as the team's ninth softball coach in program history. Ford will take over for Jo Evans, whose contract was not renewed after Texas A&M's season ended with a 20-0 loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA regional round last month.

“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. “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, 44, had been with the Sun Devils since 2017 and posted a 212-89 record during her six seasons. She was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in both 2018 and 2022, and led the Sun Devils to the Women’s College World Series in 2018.

Ford led Arizona State to a 43-11 record this season, while going 20-4 in Pac-12 play. The Sun Devils lost at home in the Super Regionals to Northwestern, denying ASU a shot at reaching Oklahoma City and playing for a national title. 

Ford is a native of Fremont, Calif. and played college ball at St. Mary's. Prior to joining the Sun Devils, she coached at her alma mater, Stanford and Fresno State, serving as the Bulldogs' head coach from 2013-16. 

"First and foremost, I want to thank Ross, Kristen [Brown] and Jeff [Toole] for the opportunity to lead the Texas A&M softball program," Ford said. "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." 

Evans, 61, took over the program in 1997 after 10 seasons at Colorado State and Utah. Thanks to her efforts, the Aggies made three Women’s College World Series, but didn't win a national title in her tenure.

The hiring of Ford marks the fourth major hiring under Bjork since he was named A&M's athletic director in 2019. The Aggies parted ways with Billy Kennedy in favor of Virginia Tech's Buzz Williams in 2019. 

Two years later, A&M elected to not renew the contract of long-time baseball coach Rob Childress and hired TCU's Jim Schlossnagle. Earlier this offseason, A&M women's basketball coach Gary Blair retired, leading to the hiring of Georgia's Joni Taylor.

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