Trisha Ford
American softball coach
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Trisha Lynn Ford (née Dean; born October 19, 1977)[1] is an American college softball coach. She is the head softball coach at the Texas A&M University, a position she has held since the 2023 season. Ford served as the head softball coach at Saint Mary's College of California from 2002 to 2003, California State University, Fresno from 2013 to 2016, and Arizona State University from 2017 to 2022.
Ford as Fresno State head coach in 2016 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Texas A&M |
| Conference | SEC |
| Record | 124–45 (.734) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | October 19, 1977 Fremont, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1998–2000 | Saint Mary's |
| Position | Infielder |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2001 | Saint Mary's (assistant) |
| 2002–2003 | Saint Mary's |
| 2004–2008 | Stanford (pitching) |
| 2009–2012 | Stanford (associate HC) |
| 2013–2016 | Fresno State |
| 2017–2022 | Arizona State |
| 2023-present | Texas A&M |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 476–262–1 (.645) |
| Tournaments | 15–14 (NCAA Division I) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 MW regular season (2015–2016) | |
| Awards | |
| MW Coach of the Year (2015) 2× Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2018, 2022) | |
Early life and education
Born Trisha Lynn Dean in Fremont, California. Ford graduated from American High School in Fremont.[2] Ford then attended Saint Mary's College of California in nearby Moraga, where she graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in political science. On the Saint Mary's Gaels softball team, Ford played at infielder from 1998 to 2000 under head coach Chelle Putzer.[3][4][5][6][7]
Coaching career
Saint Mary's (2001–2003)
Ford was the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at Saint Mary's for the 2001 season.[8] On November 1, 2001, Ford became interim head coach, nearly a month after the resignation of Putzer.[9] After a 17–37 season, Saint Mary's promoted Ford to the position long term on June 6, 2002.[10][11] Saint Mary's improved to 25–27 in the 2003 season.[12]
Stanford (2004–2012)
From 2004 to 2012, Ford was assistant coach at Stanford under John Rittman.[2]
Fresno State (2013–2016)
On June 18, 2012, Ford was announced as the new head coach of the Fresno State softball program.[13]
Arizona State (2017–2022)
On June 15, 2016, Trisha Ford was tabbed as the head coach of the Arizona State softball program.[14] In her first season leading the Sun Devils, the 2017 team finished 31–22, 9–15 finishing sixth in Pac-12 play and went to the NCAA Tournament. In just Ford's second season at the helm of the Sun Devil Program, the team finished 48–13 and 16–8 in Pac-12 play. They finished with their best record since 2013. They finished third in the Pac-12 standings, their first conference top three finish since 2014. She led them to a Women's College World Series in 2018, where they eventually lost to Oklahoma.[15]
Texas A&M (2023–present)
On June 7, 2022, Trisha Ford was announced as the new head coach of the Texas A&M softball program.[16][17] She would make her coaching debut at Texas A&M on February 9, 2023, a 12-2 victory over Tarleton.[18] Ford led the Aggies to a 35-21 record, an improvement over A&M's previous season, and brought the Aggies back into the NCAA Tournament but would go on to lose in the regional final to arch-rival Texas.
During the 2025 NCAA Division I softball tournament, Texas A&M earned the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history.[19] During the College Station regional, the Aggies were eliminated by Liberty. This marked the first time a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament failed to advance to the Super Regionals since the NCAA tournament began seeding in 2005.[20]
Personal life
Trisha Ford married Eddie Ford in 2005. They have two children. [2]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary's Gaels (Western Intercollegiate Softball League) (2002) | |||||||||
| 2002 | Saint Mary's | 17–37 | 0–2[11] | ||||||
| Saint Mary's Gaels (Pacific Coast Softball Conference) (2003) | |||||||||
| 2003 | Saint Mary's | 25–27 | 7–12[12] | 5th | |||||
| Saint Mary's: | 42–64 (.396) | 7–14 (.333) | |||||||
| Fresno State Bulldogs (Mountain West Conference) (2013–2016) | |||||||||
| 2013 | Fresno State | 30–24 | 11–7 | T-2nd | |||||
| 2014 | Fresno State | 31–21 | 15–9 | T-2nd | |||||
| 2015 | Fresno State | 40–16 | 20–4 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2016 | Fresno State | 42–12–1 | 22–1 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| Fresno State: | 143–73–1 (.661) | 68–21 (.764) | |||||||
| Arizona State Sun Devils (Pac-12 Conference) (2017–2022) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Arizona State | 31–22 | 9–15 | T–6th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2018 | Arizona State | 48–13 | 16–8 | 3rd | Women's College World Series | ||||
| 2019 | Arizona State | 35–20 | 13–11 | 4th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2020 | Arizona State | 22–7 | 0–0 | Season canceled due to COVID-19 | |||||
| 2021 | Arizona State | 33–16 | 12–9 | 4th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2022 | Arizona State | 43–11 | 20–4 | 1st | NCAA Super Regional | ||||
| Arizona State: | 212–89 (.704) | 70–47 (.598) | |||||||
| Texas A&M Aggies (Southeastern Conference) (2023–present) | |||||||||
| 2023 | Texas A&M | 35–21 | 12–12 | 7th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2024 | Texas A&M | 44–15 | 15–9 | 3rd | NCAA Super Regional | ||||
| 2025 | Texas A&M | 48-11 | 16-7 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| Texas A&M: | 124–47 (.725) | 43–28 (.606) | |||||||
| Total: | 524–273–1 (.657) | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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