Texas A&M softball season starts today

Trisha Ford was hired away from Arizona State this summer to lead the Texas A&M softball program, and will officially get underway as the Aggies begin their 2023 season by hosting the Texas A&M Invitational beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday at Davis Diamond. The Ags will play a total of six games this weekend:

• Tarleton (4 p.m. Thursday)
• Northern Kentucky (5 p.m. Friday)
• Tarleton (7:30 p.m. Friday)
• Michigan State (3:30 p.m. Saturday)
• Texas A&M-Commerce (6 p.m. Saturday)
• Texas A&M-Commerice (2 p.m. Sunday)

All games can be streamed on SEC Network+ or listened to at 12thman.com/watch.

This is the first time a head coach other than Jo Evans will be in the A&M dugout since 1996. Evans led the Aggies to two Big 12 titles and three trips to the Women’s College World Series in her tenure, but after four straight seasons of a sub-.500 SEC record and failing to advance past the NCAA Regional round, a change was seemingly needed.

After spending the past six seasons with the Sun Devils, Ford is three victories away from win No. 400, boasting a career record of 397-226-1. Nine letterwinners return from a 2022 Aggie squad that posted a 31-28 ledger that included an NCAA Regional final appearance. Eleven newcomers have made Aggieland their home, including six transfers and five true freshmen.