By Craig Morgan, thesundevils.com Writer
Trisha Ford has had success at every stop in her softball playing and coaching career. Arguably the best softball player in Saint Mary's College (Moraga, California) history, Ford (formerly Trisha Dean) is the only female student-athlete in school history to have her number (9) retired, and in the spring of 2007, she was among six former athletes and coaches to be inducted into the Saint Mary's College Hall of Fame.
After two years as the coach and one as an assistant at her alma mater, Ford was an assistant at Stanford from 2004-12, four of those seasons as associate head coach. In that time, the Cardinal made nine NCAA appearances and reached the College World Series in 2004.
In her four years as the coach at Fresno State, her teams were a combined 142-71-1, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons. She was Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016, and she and her assistants were named 2016 NFCA Pacific Region Staff of the Year when the Bulldogs posted a school-record 23-game win streak and won 42 games.
She will join the USA Senior National team coaching staff this fall after helping lead the U.S. Junior Team to a gold-medal performance at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Junior Women's World Championship.
We caught up with Ford over the weekend to get a sense of how her experiences have shaped her coaching philosophy, and to get her thoughts on taking over a storied Sun Devil program that has amassed more than 1,600 wins and four national championships.
What attracted you to Arizona State?
"There are many things that attracted me to Arizona State. First and foremost, I think you can win at a very high level here. The combination of the progressive education and innovation, along with being in the Pac-12 is exciting. There are so many things that Arizona State offers and it has its own uniqueness. At the core of it all is the leadership and type of people they have supporting all the programs. That sets it apart."
What impressed you about ASU's message and approach?
"Don Bocchi, Scottie Graham, Deana Garner Smith and I all met up and had an informal conversation. It lasted the whole day! We just chatted about my philosophy, my vision and how I operate. It was a very easy conversation because our views about what the student-athlete experience should be aligned. After I made it through the first cut, I came back and chatted with Ray Anderson his wife Buffie and Don and Scottie. Again chatting about my philosophy, vision and for Ray to see what I was all about. During this whole process the one thing that impressed me the most was the energy and the people that our student-athletes are surrounded by. Everyone is here for the right reasons and that is exciting. You do not find that everywhere and when you do you jump in with both feet. That's exactly what I did."
How would you characterize your coaching philosophy, and who or what shaped that philosophy?
"Fast and competitive. I like to be aggressive in all aspects of the game. Put pressure on the opponent and force their hand.
"I have had so many influences that I have meshed them all together. I spent nine years with (coach) John Rittman at Stanford and learned a lot from him. Over the years through USA softball and various camps, you develop bonds with all sorts of coaches from very different backgrounds. I like to chat the game and strategies with just about anyone. I always think that there is more to learn. I'm a nerd like that."
I know this is a broad question, but what experiences in your playing days have helped you as a coach?
"I was never the elite-level player. I had to really work and understand what my body was doing in order to compete. The fire inside me is what allowed me to be on the field. I hate to lose more than I love to win. I went to a small liberal arts college and we were always the underdog. That fits well into my personality."
How did your Stanford experience shape you as a coach?
"At Stanford, you are surrounded by greatness. It rubs off on you. The energy to learn about everything is something you can almost taste there. You work with people that are going to change our world. That was pretty special. We had to set a curfew for them to stop studying and go to bed. That was probably the funniest thing."
What were some of the keys to building a powerhouse at Fresno State?
"I think setting a standard and making sure that the players knew, understood and bought into that standard. One of my favorite things to ask players is just that: 'What's your standard? When you lift, go to class, practice, everything you do, do you do it with a purpose?' Getting the players to rally behind each other and holding each other accountable to the standard of the program was critical. We also had some key transfers that came in and contributed right away. They helped with the maturation of the young players and provided some stability in the middle of our lineup."
Arizona State won national championships in 2008 and 2011 under Clint Myers. Does that set your standard?
"It's not about rebuilding to what it was. It's about making it work for today and our brand. We aren't going to live in the past. What Coach Myers did here was pretty special. He's a great coach, but we are going to concentrate on what Arizona State softball needs to do today to win a national championship. It starts in the circle, as we all know. From there you provide a solid foundation and let them compete. I truly believe that if you give them the right platform they will exceed their wildest dreams. That's what my job is, creating that platform."
Have you had a chance to meet with any of the players yet, and what was your message to them?
"Yes. I was fortunate to chat with about seven to eight players last week. It went really well. I liked their energy. My message was simple. We are going to compete our tails off and do it the right way. They are going to learn a lot and we are going to challenge them, mentally, physically and emotionally."
Trisha Ford has had success at every stop in her softball playing and coaching career. Arguably the best softball player in Saint Mary's College (Moraga, California) history, Ford (formerly Trisha Dean) is the only female student-athlete in school history to have her number (9) retired, and in the spring of 2007, she was among six former athletes and coaches to be inducted into the Saint Mary's College Hall of Fame.
After two years as the coach and one as an assistant at her alma mater, Ford was an assistant at Stanford from 2004-12, four of those seasons as associate head coach. In that time, the Cardinal made nine NCAA appearances and reached the College World Series in 2004.
In her four years as the coach at Fresno State, her teams were a combined 142-71-1, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons. She was Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016, and she and her assistants were named 2016 NFCA Pacific Region Staff of the Year when the Bulldogs posted a school-record 23-game win streak and won 42 games.
She will join the USA Senior National team coaching staff this fall after helping lead the U.S. Junior Team to a gold-medal performance at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Junior Women's World Championship.
We caught up with Ford over the weekend to get a sense of how her experiences have shaped her coaching philosophy, and to get her thoughts on taking over a storied Sun Devil program that has amassed more than 1,600 wins and four national championships.
What attracted you to Arizona State?
"There are many things that attracted me to Arizona State. First and foremost, I think you can win at a very high level here. The combination of the progressive education and innovation, along with being in the Pac-12 is exciting. There are so many things that Arizona State offers and it has its own uniqueness. At the core of it all is the leadership and type of people they have supporting all the programs. That sets it apart."
What impressed you about ASU's message and approach?
"Don Bocchi, Scottie Graham, Deana Garner Smith and I all met up and had an informal conversation. It lasted the whole day! We just chatted about my philosophy, my vision and how I operate. It was a very easy conversation because our views about what the student-athlete experience should be aligned. After I made it through the first cut, I came back and chatted with Ray Anderson his wife Buffie and Don and Scottie. Again chatting about my philosophy, vision and for Ray to see what I was all about. During this whole process the one thing that impressed me the most was the energy and the people that our student-athletes are surrounded by. Everyone is here for the right reasons and that is exciting. You do not find that everywhere and when you do you jump in with both feet. That's exactly what I did."
How would you characterize your coaching philosophy, and who or what shaped that philosophy?
"Fast and competitive. I like to be aggressive in all aspects of the game. Put pressure on the opponent and force their hand.
"I have had so many influences that I have meshed them all together. I spent nine years with (coach) John Rittman at Stanford and learned a lot from him. Over the years through USA softball and various camps, you develop bonds with all sorts of coaches from very different backgrounds. I like to chat the game and strategies with just about anyone. I always think that there is more to learn. I'm a nerd like that."
I know this is a broad question, but what experiences in your playing days have helped you as a coach?
"I was never the elite-level player. I had to really work and understand what my body was doing in order to compete. The fire inside me is what allowed me to be on the field. I hate to lose more than I love to win. I went to a small liberal arts college and we were always the underdog. That fits well into my personality."
How did your Stanford experience shape you as a coach?
"At Stanford, you are surrounded by greatness. It rubs off on you. The energy to learn about everything is something you can almost taste there. You work with people that are going to change our world. That was pretty special. We had to set a curfew for them to stop studying and go to bed. That was probably the funniest thing."
What were some of the keys to building a powerhouse at Fresno State?
"I think setting a standard and making sure that the players knew, understood and bought into that standard. One of my favorite things to ask players is just that: 'What's your standard? When you lift, go to class, practice, everything you do, do you do it with a purpose?' Getting the players to rally behind each other and holding each other accountable to the standard of the program was critical. We also had some key transfers that came in and contributed right away. They helped with the maturation of the young players and provided some stability in the middle of our lineup."
Arizona State won national championships in 2008 and 2011 under Clint Myers. Does that set your standard?
"It's not about rebuilding to what it was. It's about making it work for today and our brand. We aren't going to live in the past. What Coach Myers did here was pretty special. He's a great coach, but we are going to concentrate on what Arizona State softball needs to do today to win a national championship. It starts in the circle, as we all know. From there you provide a solid foundation and let them compete. I truly believe that if you give them the right platform they will exceed their wildest dreams. That's what my job is, creating that platform."
Have you had a chance to meet with any of the players yet, and what was your message to them?
"Yes. I was fortunate to chat with about seven to eight players last week. It went really well. I liked their energy. My message was simple. We are going to compete our tails off and do it the right way. They are going to learn a lot and we are going to challenge them, mentally, physically and emotionally."