Softball On SI

4 College Softball Head Coaches Entering a Pivotal 2026 Season

One could also say they are on the hot seat.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
LSU Tigers head coach Beth Torina needs to escape Regionals in 2026.
LSU Tigers head coach Beth Torina needs to escape Regionals in 2026. | Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 2026 season is almost here and shaping up to be spectacular. The transfer portal was hot this offseason and coaches have added or rebuilt their rosters with new faces.

However, some coaches need their teams to perform well this season if they want to stick around for another year or two.

Here are five NCAA Division I head softball coaches who are on the hot seat heading into the 2026 season.

Beth Torina, LSU

The LSU Tigers hosted a Regional last season and only played three games, losing twice to the Southeastern Louisiana Lions.

LSU hasn't been to the Women's College World Series since 2017 and has been eliminated in Regionals twice in the last three years by in-state rivals. The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns eliminated the Tigers in 2023.

Torina took over the LSU program in June 2011 and took the Tigers to the WCWS in 2012, 2015, 2016, and 2017. But they have never played for a national championship.

With this spring marking a pivotal season for the Tigers, Torina has removed herself from coaching third base and is hoping her presence in the dugout will be a difference maker.

Torina is under contract through the 2028 season.

Tyra Perry, Illinois

Tyra Perry is just the second head coach in Illinois program history. She was hired in June 2015 and made an immediate impact on the Illini.

Perry led the program to its first back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances since 2010 after advancing to postseason play in 2016 and 2017, and helped the Illini to 36 wins or more for three-straight seasons, 2016-18, for the first time in program history.

The Illini advanced to another Regional in 2019 but have only been back to the NCAA Tournament once since then. Two of the last seasons have resulted in losing records, and the Illini haven't advanced past the Big Ten Tournament since 2022.

Perry is under contract through the 2027 season.

Larissa Anderson, Mizzou

The SEC just means more and that has to apply to missing the NCAA Tournament entirely.

Since taking over ahead of the 2019 season, Anderson has led the Tigers to the postseason every season except for 2025. Mizzou finished with a losing record, which eliminated it from postseason contention after the SEC Tournament.

Mizzou had advanced to one Super Regional (2024) under Anderson, resulting in a series loss at home to the Duke Blue Devils.

After not making the postseason last season, the pressure is on for Anderson to at least make a Regional appearance; another NCAA Tournament miss completely might be the end of the road for her in Columbia.

Anderson is under contract the 2028 season.

Jennifer McFalls, Kansas

Winning at Kansas isn't easy; it never has been. The Jayhawks haven't been to an NCAA Tournament since 2015.

McFalls was hired after the 2018 season, and in eight seasons, she has only had one winning season. In 2024, the Jayhawks finished 28-25-1 season, marking Kansas' best performance since 2018. That also marks the head coach's lone winning season at KU.

McFalls is under contract through the 2027 season.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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