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Tim Walton, head coach, Florida — The Gators’ head coach entertained the Texas position in 2018 before remaining at Florida on a long-term deal. But if Texas A&M came calling and pulled out their pocketbooks, it might be tempting. Walton is one of three active coaches with multiple national titles to his credit. The previous flirtations with Texas and the Aggie finances could buoy what otherwise seems like a longshot at best.
Lonni Alameda, head coach, Florida State — Sure, Alameda signed a contract extension at FSU last year – but it was an extension with a favorable buyout. That’s important here. Alameda’s name has surfaced in a handful of major coaching searches over the last few years, but she has stayed put at Florida State. Could this be the gig that finally woos her away?
Beth Torina, head coach, LSU — LSU’s early exit from the NCAA tournament this season doesn’t dampen Torina’s candidacy by any means. The longtime Tiger leader has built LSU into a perennial powerhouse, with a quartet of WCWS appearances under her belt – most recently in 2017. Some top-level talent has also funneled through the LSU program during her entire tenure.
Kenny Gajewski, head coach, Oklahoma State — Two consecutive WCWS appearances aren’t easy to come by, but that’s the streak that Gajewski is riding at this point. He’s done a terrific job of building up the OSU program with transfers, but hasn’t neglected the homegrown talent via the organic recruiting path. He’s the only coach to beat Oklahoma in each of the last two years.
Courtney Deifel, head coach, Arkansas — SEC champion in 2021, SEC champion (x2) in 2022, and the fastest-rising star in the coaching business. Can Deifel fit all of that onto a business card? With both an SEC regular-season and tournament title under her belt this year, Deifel’s best achievement might be a roster full of players who are indicative of the culture that has been built under her oversight in Fayetteville.
Pete D’Amour, head coach, Virginia Tech — When Missouri and Texas A&M made the simultaneous switch from the Big 12 to the SEC, D’Amour was in CoMo. Maybe now he’ll wind up on the other side of that equation. D’Amour has won everywhere he’s been – first at Kennesaw State, where he led the Owls to the NCAA tournament for the first time as a D1 team, and now at Virginia Tech, where he has the Hokies in back-to-back Super Regionals.
Craig Snider, assistant coach, Texas A&M — Snider has done a nifty job with the Aggie hitters since he got to town and deserves a lot of credit for the offense’s progression as a whole since he arrived. Haley Lee and others blossomed under his tutelage. Snider got plenty of head coaching looks both when he was at Florida State and since arriving at A&M, but perhaps most interesting in the equation is the possibility of him remaining on staff under a new head coach.
Rodney DeLong, head coach, North Texas — Finally, the Mean Green broke through the NCAA tournament ceiling this year, smashing through the CUSA tournament and ultimately reaching the Stillwater Regional final this weekend. DeLong has built a really solid program at UNT and he’s at the top of the list of mid-major coaches ready to take the next step up – should he so choose.
Sharonda McDonald, head coach, Campbell — In the category of Jo Evans Coaching Tree products, McDonald’s star shines the brightest. Her Campbell program has reached two straight NCAA tournaments via Big South conference titles and her name has popped up in a number of coaching searches over the last couple of years.
Trisha Ford, head coach, Arizona State — Ford is a PAC-12 champion, and sitting atop one of the nation’s best softball leagues is no small feat. She’s got a good thing going at ASU, with a lot of young talent and a program that still has room to build. Even as champions, her Sun Devils received a lower national seed than UCLA in the NCAA tournament.
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