TEMPE – On Tuesday, Sun Devil Softball Head Coach Megan Bartlett announced the addition of Mitch Roberts to her coaching staff. Roberts arrives in Tempe following a five-year stint as the head coach at St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mitch, Katie and their children to the Sun Devil Softball family,” Bartlett said. “Mitch is a true professional. Not only is he a talented pitching coach with Power Four experience, but he comes to us with head coaching experience as well.
“He’s a perfect fit for our culture and will, no doubt, leave a tremendous impact on the program.”
Roberts led the Huskies to a pair of 40-win seasons (41 – 2025, 46 – 2026) as well as the program’s first-ever share of a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) regular season championship in 2026.
He also led the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 – and second since 2004 – as well as its first NSIC Tournament championship game appearance in program history and first national ranking since 2004.
“I am honored and excited to be joining Arizona State as the next pitching coach,” Roberts said. “I have to give a huge thank you to Coach Bartlett and Marcus Williams for trusting me with this talented pitching staff and allowing me the opportunity to be part of something special.
“After watching the Sun Devils make an incredible postseason run last season, I can’t wait to get to work and help this program continue chasing a national championship. I’m excited for the future and ready to get started.”
In five seasons as head coach of the Huskies, Roberts won 30-or-more games in each of his five seasons en route to posting a 187-94 (.665) overall record, a record that includes a 97-42 (.698) mark in NSIC action.
Throughout his tenure at St. Cloud, Roberts coached 22 All-NSIC honors (seven first team, 15 second team), five All-NSIC Defensive Team selections, as well as the program’s first two NSIC specialty awards: Newcomer and Pitcher of the Year. SCSU also had five D2CCA All-Region honorees, four NFCA All-Region selections and one NFCA All-American.
Roberts’ pitchers tossed three no-hitters and two perfect games over the last five seasons as well.
“Sun Devil Softball is in great hands with Coach Roberts,” said two-time All-American Kenzie Brown. “He has elite knowledge on how to make your pitches move along, with being one of the easiest people to be around. I’m so excited for the future of Sun Devil Softball.”
Prior to taking the head coach position at St. Cloud State, Roberts spent over five years at the Division I level with a two-year stint at Cal preceding his move to Minnesota. While in Berkeley, Roberts helped the Golden Bears' pitching staff cut their team ERA by nearly two full runs, while also handling all pitching responsibilities, including pitch calling, pre-game routines and bullpen management. He also organized recruiting efforts for the Cal coaching staff while the Golden Bears were in the Pac-12 Conference.
Prior to working in California, Roberts served as an assistant coach at both Tulsa and Ball State after spending time as a graduate assistant at Washington. During his lone season with the Golden Hurricane, Roberts guided the pitching staff to the sixth-lowest ERA in all of Division I with a 1.48 clip, while opposing batters were held to a .198 batting average against the Tulsa pitching staff.
At the Division I level, Roberts has mentored multiple all-conference, all-region and All-American student-athletes, including former Washington Husky standout, Taran Alvelo, and has coached in one Women’s College World Series.
“Mitch is the perfect hire for Sun Devil Softball,” said Josh Johnson, pitching coach at Virginia Tech. “He’s a player-first coach with a blue-collar work ethic focused on development. He’s got an unmatched relatability factor that allows him to connect with the student-athletes and relay technical information in a way that resonates.”
Roberts played college baseball at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa. He graduated in 2016 with a degree in Business Management and a minor in Leadership.
Roberts’ father, Mike, is currently the associate head coach and pitching coach at Wisconsin after coaching stints at Virginia, Louisiana, Buffalo, Washington, Oregon and Wisconsin-Green Bay following a men’s fastpitch career that saw him be a two-time ASA All-American.
Roberts' coaching timeline
- Present: Arizona State, Assistant Coach
- 2021 - 2026: St. Cloud State (Minn.), Head Coach
- 2020 - 2021: Cal, Assistant Coach
- 2019 - 2020: Tulsa, Assistant Coach
- 2017 - 2019: Ball State, Assistant Coach
- 2016 - 2017: Washington, Graduate Assistant
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