TEMPE, Ariz. – Trisha Ford didn't arrive in Tempe with a timeline for restoring Sun Devil softball to national prominence. She brought only her 15 years of coaching experience, a mother's concern for her players' well-being and a competitive fire that distinguished her interview with Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson.
"We knew we were facing a rebuild in a lot of ways and we knew that the No. 1 thing we needed was someone that could come in and stabilize the program, create a good culture," said Anderson of a program that had experienced unusually high coaching turnover. "She was all that, but once you met her and spent time around her, you understood something else. Boy, is she driven and passionate."
It's the only way Ford knows how to operate. Growing up in a "grind-it-out," blue-collar family in Fremont, California where dad drove a truck, Ford played baseball and basketball with the boys because those were the only opportunities she had to compete on the level she needed before high school.
"I was my dad's son," she said, laughing. "I wasn't the most talented kid growing up but I wanted to play and I wanted to win.
"I am pretty competitive. I enjoy it. I love that fight."
At various points this season, pitchers Breanna Macha, Giselle Juarez and infielder Danielle Gibson have all described Ford as a bulldog; a coach who won't back down from a challenge.
"She's really high intensity out on the field and I don't think we had that before," outfielder Nichole Chilson said. "She has brought a lot of structure to the program. We know everything we are doing, why we're doing it and she makes sure we know before we do it."
Ford knew that her approach wouldn't mesh with all the players she inherited, but it didn't take long to identify the keepers and bring in some reinforcements.
Above all else, Ford wanted to set the same example for her players that she is setting for her kids, Emma and EJ.
"Some people love me and some people might not, but my intentions are always good and I really think it's important to make a difference in people's lives, especially female lives," she said. "From a mother's perspective, I don't think there's a better platform to do that, to be around strong independent smart women that are going to change the world.
"As with anything, the more you take care of it, the quicker and faster it grows. We spent a lot of time, especially last year, making sure that the program was in a good place. I think this year, we're starting to see some of those fruits, but you don't come here as a coach, as a player, if you don't want to play for a national championship. If you're coming here to be mediocre we're not a good fit."
The No. 8 seed Sun Devils will compete in the Women's College World Series this weekend, but Ford is doing her best to keep her players and her own mind inside their oft-discussed team bubble, a place where outside noise is inaudible.
Ford isn't keen on proclaiming the Sun Devils (48-11) ahead of schedule. A berth in the nation's elite eight is expected from a program that owns four national championships, but given where sixth-ranked ASU was two seasons ago (32-26, 6-17 Pac-12), it is impossible to ignore the rapid metamorphosis taking place in this program.
"You can never honestly say, 'oh yeah, we expected the turnaround to happen in two years,'" Anderson said. "I couldn't have expected this quick a turnaround but we're sure going to take it. Trisha's done a splendid job."
"We knew we were facing a rebuild in a lot of ways and we knew that the No. 1 thing we needed was someone that could come in and stabilize the program, create a good culture," said Anderson of a program that had experienced unusually high coaching turnover. "She was all that, but once you met her and spent time around her, you understood something else. Boy, is she driven and passionate."
It's the only way Ford knows how to operate. Growing up in a "grind-it-out," blue-collar family in Fremont, California where dad drove a truck, Ford played baseball and basketball with the boys because those were the only opportunities she had to compete on the level she needed before high school.
"I was my dad's son," she said, laughing. "I wasn't the most talented kid growing up but I wanted to play and I wanted to win.
"I am pretty competitive. I enjoy it. I love that fight."
At various points this season, pitchers Breanna Macha, Giselle Juarez and infielder Danielle Gibson have all described Ford as a bulldog; a coach who won't back down from a challenge.
"She's really high intensity out on the field and I don't think we had that before," outfielder Nichole Chilson said. "She has brought a lot of structure to the program. We know everything we are doing, why we're doing it and she makes sure we know before we do it."
Ford knew that her approach wouldn't mesh with all the players she inherited, but it didn't take long to identify the keepers and bring in some reinforcements.
MOST SUN DEVIL PAC-12 WINS"Last season, we lost quite a few girls that didn't buy in and we were left with 19 women that did buy into her program and what she wanted to do with Sun Devil softball," senior infielder Marisa Stankiewicz said. "With her bringing in the other girls, she already knew that they were going to buy in to her way of coaching and her way of playing the game. I think it just goes to show that with a great leader we can do some big things."
18-3, 2008
18-4, 2012
17-4, 2011
16-8, 2018
16-8, 2013
Above all else, Ford wanted to set the same example for her players that she is setting for her kids, Emma and EJ.
"Some people love me and some people might not, but my intentions are always good and I really think it's important to make a difference in people's lives, especially female lives," she said. "From a mother's perspective, I don't think there's a better platform to do that, to be around strong independent smart women that are going to change the world.
"As with anything, the more you take care of it, the quicker and faster it grows. We spent a lot of time, especially last year, making sure that the program was in a good place. I think this year, we're starting to see some of those fruits, but you don't come here as a coach, as a player, if you don't want to play for a national championship. If you're coming here to be mediocre we're not a good fit."
The No. 8 seed Sun Devils will compete in the Women's College World Series this weekend, but Ford is doing her best to keep her players and her own mind inside their oft-discussed team bubble, a place where outside noise is inaudible.
Ford isn't keen on proclaiming the Sun Devils (48-11) ahead of schedule. A berth in the nation's elite eight is expected from a program that owns four national championships, but given where sixth-ranked ASU was two seasons ago (32-26, 6-17 Pac-12), it is impossible to ignore the rapid metamorphosis taking place in this program.
"You can never honestly say, 'oh yeah, we expected the turnaround to happen in two years,'" Anderson said. "I couldn't have expected this quick a turnaround but we're sure going to take it. Trisha's done a splendid job."