4 College Softball Coaches on the Hot Seat With One Month Left in 2026 Season

Updated: April 17, 2026

An earlier version of this story included incorrect information regarding Lawson’s contract. This has since been corrected to reflect accurate details.

With the college softball season in full swing, several head coaches may be on the hot seat if their teams don’t hit the win column more frequently or succeed in a postseason run.

The Southeastern Conference dominates softball, but it also includes three head coaches who are failing to lead their programs in the right direction.

Here are four NCAA Division I head softball coaches who risk losing their position by the end of the 2026 season.

Beth Torina, LSU Tigers

LSU hasn't been to the Women's College World Series since 2017, and 2026 is shaping up to leave the Tigers out once again.

With a 29-14 record and upset losses to Nebraska, Duke, UCLA, Tennessee, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Missouri, it’s been a very bumpy season when facing strong competitors.

MAKE THAT 2️⃣ TOP 10 WINS FOR DUKE 👀

No. 19 @DukeSOFTBALL defeats No. 10 LSU, 5-3!#NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/BUtqcoqTHZ
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) February 13, 2026

Ranked No. 15 by Softball America, the Tigers are currently projected to host a Regional, but they lost twice at home to the Southeastern Louisiana Lions last year, with a much better start to the season than in 2026.

Torina removed herself from coaching third base in hopes that her presence in the dugout would make a difference. Her contract runs through 2028.

Larissa Anderson, Missouri Tigers

After taking over in 2019, Larissa Anderson has led the Tigers to the postseason every season except for 2025. Missouri missed it entirely after posting a losing record and is on track to completely miss it again.

The unranked 23-22 Tigers are 6-9 in the conference, but have had flashy wins over Duke, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Georgia. It hasn’t been nearly enough, though, to even be a contender in the SEC Tournament.

Anderson is under contract through 2028.

Rachel Lawson, Kentucky Wildcats

Dead last in the SEC, Kentucky sits with a 1-16 conference record and a 25-22 overall record.

Lawson is in her 19th season at the helm and is the winningest head coach in program history, but has not led the Wildcats to a Women’s College World Series appearance since 2014, nor a Super Regional appearance since 2021.

The team has made 16-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, but 2026 may be the first season we don’t see the Wildcats.

Lawson is signed long-term through at least June 30, 2029, which means it would take a pretty penny to buy her out.

Tyra Perry, Illinois Fighting Illini

Under Tyra Perry, the Illini have not been back to the NCAA Tournament since 2022. She is credited with leading the program to its first back-to-back Regional appearances since 2010 and helped the Illini to 36 or more wins for three straight seasons, 2016-18, for the first time in program history.

The same can’t be said for 2026, though. The last two seasons recorded losing records, and with a 12-31 overall record at the moment, it might be safe to count them out of even advancing past the Big Ten Tournament.

Perry is under contract through the 2027 season.

Other Notable Names

Kris Ganeff, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Gordon Eakin, BYU Cougars
Robert Wagner, South Dakota Coyotes
Kristin Ryman, Lipscomb Bisons
Piper Ritter, Minnesota Golden Gophers

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