Texas A&M Softball Gears Up for Road Trip in Clearwater Invitational

The Texas A&M Aggies had a historic season in 2025, as in their third season under head coach Trisha Ford, the Aggies were ranked as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in program history and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies ended that season with a 48-11 record after the season was cut very short as Texas A&M was unable to get out of the Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament, flaming out after dropping the last game of the year to Liberty.

Now, as the Aggies head into the fourth season with Ford at the helm, Texas A&M heads into the season ranked as the No. 11 team in the nation in USA Softball's preseason rankings, looking to take the next step as a program.

Texas A&M Gets Ready for First Road Games of the Season

Texas A&M Aggies third baseman Kennedy Powell — Texas A&M third baseman Kennedy Powell snags a fly ball in foul territory over her shoulder. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Aggies have gotten the season started on the right foot with a 4-1 record after the opening weekend of the year, hosting the Aggie Classic, with their only loss coming to the national runners-up, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, falling 3-2.

Now Ford and her ball club get set to hit the road for the first time this season, taking part in the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational, where the Aggies will take on five different opponents beginning on Friday and ending on Sunday.

Ford spoke about what she wants the mindset of her players to be when playing a game on the road.

"It has a lot to do with sticking to the plan," Ford said. "And that's not coach speak, but I mean understanding this is our process, this is how we execute it, and it really doesn't matter where we are, what day it is, what time it is, the standard is the standard."

The Aggies will face tough competition down in the Sunshine State, taking on two ranked opponents in No. 23 Oklahoma State and No. 19 Duke, as well as battling against NC State, James Madison, and Northwestern.

Ford also noted there is a philosophical shift for the Aggies this season, no longer being the underdogs in their games and heading into most ballgames as heavy favorites. However, Ford did reference the Aggies' early exit from the NCAA Tournament a season ago as fuel for this season.

"I always find a way to be the underdog, I feel like I live life with a chip on my shoulder, so I think there are always ways," Ford said. "We still have last year as a really large chip on our shoulder, so that will always drive us. I think the other part of this is we also have to learn how to play or go into games as the higher-ranked team, and what does that look like? How do you play with people always chasing you?"