Mike White has been named the new head coach at Texas, a move that was first brought to you by Justin’s World of Softball.
The Oregon head coach leaves the Ducks after a nine-year tenure that included five PAC-12 conference championships, including the 2018 title. The Ducks were the #1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament this postseason, and were eliminated in the second round of the Women’s College World Series. Oregon made five WCWS appearances under White, including in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017 in addition to their ’18 berth. The Ducks have appeared in nine straight Super Regionals.
Known for his pitching prowess, White shepherded the Oregon staff to a 1.38 cumulative ERA in the 2018 season. Named the Pac-12’s Pitcher of the Year, Megan Kleist posted a 1.32 ERA on the year, including a 1.19 mark in conference play. Miranda Elish finished the season with a team-best 1.20 ERA and 249 strikeouts in 175 innings of work.
During his tenure with the Ducks, White was three times named the conference Coach of the Year, most recently in 2016. A former men’s fastpitch player, White is a member of the ISC Hall of Fame and a bronze medalist from the 2000 World Championships, when he participated as a member of Team USA.
White takes the helm of a Longhorns program that has only ever known one coach, Connie Clark. Clark retired earlier this summer after leading Texas to a 33-26 record in the 2018 season, including a 10-8 conference mark and a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Photo via Oregon Athletics/Twitter
