Jennifer Rocha is the new associate head coach at Oklahoma, the school announced on Wednesday. She will be the Sooners’ pitching coach.
Rocha joins the Sooners, her alma mater, and will take the position vacated by Melyssa Lombardi, who accepted the head coaching position at Oregon last week.
Rocha spent the past thirteen years on the staff at Florida, helping the Gators to back-to-back National Championships in 2014 and 2015. She earned the title of Associate Head Coach with the Gators in 2017.
During her tenure in Gainesville, Rocha shepherded such heralded hurlers like Hannah Rogers, Lauren Haeger, Kelly Barnhill, among others. She helped led the Gators to nine Women’s College World Series appearances since 2008, including in 2018.
In 2015, Rocha was named the national Assistant Coach of the Year by the NFCA. She followed Tim Walton to Florida after serving under him on the staff at Wichita State. Rocha’s coaching resume also includes a single-season stint at Oregon and a graduate assistantship at Oklahoma following her playing career.
Rocha transferred to Oklahoma for the final three seasons of her career, finishing her time in Norman with a 43-17 win-loss record and a 1.46 ERA. She played professionally in the Women’s Professional Softball League in 1998.
