UC Santa Barbara Hires Jo Evans as Head Coach

Jo Evans is the new head coach at UC Santa Barbara, the school announced on Thursday.

Standing 11th all-time in career wins, Evans owns a career record of 1300-714-2. She earned her 1,300th career win in the Norman Regional during the 2022 postseason.

Evans spent the last 27 seasons as the head coach at Texas A&M, leading the Aggies to three Women’s College World Series trips and seven berths in the Super Regional round of the NCAA tournament. The Aggies reached the NCAA tournament 22 times during her tenure and won 987 games under her shepherding.

In a press release, Evans said “I’m excited to be the head softball coach at Santa Barbara. I want to thank Athletics Director, Kelly Barsky, for giving me the opportunity to help grow the softball program. I’m most excited to meet my players and get to know them and their families. UCSB is one of the most outstanding public institutions in the country, and I know we will be able to draw great students who are also great softball players. Living in Santa Barbara is a dream come true, and I’m looking forward to building great relationships with the community and growing the sport in our area. I can’t wait to get started.”

Prior to her tenure at A&M, Evans was the head coach at Utah – where she led the Utes to the Women’s College World Series – and at Colorado State.