First-year UCSB softball coach Jo Evans is eager to build a winning program at the school and good relationship with the community.
One of the winningest coaches in NCAA Division 1 softball with more than 1,300 wins, Evans has made an immediate impact on the Gauchos. The team is currently tied for first place in the Big West with a 9-3 record and is 22-11 overall.
“It’s been a really great experience,” she said in her debut appearance at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon on Monday at Harry’s Plaza Cafe. “I spent a lot of time coaching in the South in a Power 5 conference. To be here coaching in Santa Barbara and being part of this really well-rounded college experience for student athletes, has been a real pleasure for me.”
Evans arrived at UCSB from Texas A&M of the SEC. During her 27-year tenure there, the Aggies advanced to the NCAA postseason 22 times, including three trips to the Women’s College World Series in 2007, 2008 and 2017 and seven trips to the NCAA Super Regionals.
Before her success at A&M, she guided Utah to a pair of World Series appearances in her seven years at the helm in Salt Lake City.
She’s been inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame.
“For me, it’s just a labor of love trying to build a culture and creating new standards for a program that has struggled a little big in the past,” she said of accepting the job at UCSB. “To be part of something like that, has been really rewarding.
“As the coaches know here, it’s not always about winning. It’s a lot to do with how you feel about your team and your culture. And, I always feel like this culture that we are able to build is what creates the winning. It’s just a byproduct of that.”
Evans said the Gauchos are hitting the toughest part of the conference schedule. This weekend (April 15-16) they host Big West co-leader Long Beach State, the following weekend (April 22-23) they play at second-place Cal State Fullerton and on April 29-30 second-place UC Davis visits Campus Diamond.
The Gauchos have community events planned during the Long Beach State and UC Davis series.
On Sunday, April 16, they’ll give a free clinic for the players of the Goleta Valley Girls Softball Association before the game against Long Beach State.
For the Sunday, April 29 game against UC Davis, high school students will be admitted free.
“Something that’s really important to me is building relationships in our community, and I know we can do a better job of that,” said Evans. “I’m really excited to be a part of it.”