Texas Tech Softball Head Coach Gerry Glasco’s Championship Pursuit in WCWS Driven by Love, Loss, and Legacy
There’s something poetic about watching a coach lead his team on the biggest stage in college softball. When that coach is Gerry Glasco, it’s never just about the game – it’s about the heart behind it.
On Monday night in Oklahoma City, Glasco led the Texas Tech Red Raiders to a 3-2 win over the Oklahoma Sooners and clinching the first WCWS championship series berth for the program and himself.
Scattered throughout the postseason have been subtle reminders – or signs – of his late daughter, Geri Ann, and it doesn't take much for him or his daughter and assistant coach Tara Archibald to believe Geri Ann has had something to do with this magical run.
"The night of the drawing, Tara said, if we get to the 12th seed you know we'll go to the World Series," he said after Monday's win. "I bet we get the 12th seed. Sure enough, it comes up on TV. She said, I told you. We're going to the World Series. We got the 12 seed, which was Geri Ann's number. And we go to Arizona, and we check in the room, and I go to my room, and I realize I'm in Room 112. And it's a huge hotel.
"Things like that happened after she's been with us on this journey. And you know, tonight I thought to myself, like, if Sam (Landry) goes and I don't go, it's still good.
"And Geri Ann would have been thrilled with Sam going, and I'm sure she's thrilled with me going."
#Sooners pitcher Sam Landry, Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco reflect after Landry’s career-ending loss to former coach in WCWS pic.twitter.com/PkYOKfjQ0G
— OU Daily Sports (@OUDailySports) June 3, 2025
Glasco’s name carries weight in softball. A veteran coach known for developing powerhouse hitters and elite programs, he’s spent a lifetime building the sport from the dugout. No matter how many wins he’s collected, his most meaningful moments have always come as a dad.
In 2015, he lived every softball parent’s dream – watching his daughter, Geri Ann, compete in the Women’s College World Series as a member of the Oregon Ducks. For a man who dedicated his career to developing champions, there couldn’t have been a prouder title than "Dad in the stands" in 2015.
Gerry’s pride wasn’t just rooted in her athletic achievements – it was in who Geri Ann was becoming off the field, until a tragedy struck the family in 2019.
In memory of Geri Ann Glasco, Sam Landry wears her name on her glove to carry on her legacy and support her former coach, Gerry Glasco.@OU_Softball pic.twitter.com/w4AWI8gDZs
— D1Softball (@D1Softball) June 3, 2025
Geri Ann Glasco had just started her coaching journey alongside her father at the University of Louisiana. That January, Geri Ann was killed in a car accident. She was only 24.
The loss shook the entire softball world.
A standout at both Georgia and Oregon, Geri Ann’s accolades were well-known: Gatorade National Player of the Year, SEC Co-Freshman of the Year, All-American, NPF draft pick. She was a fierce competitor and a natural-born leader. But her legacy runs far deeper than stats and awards.
Geri Ann had what her family calls a servant’s heart. While at Oregon, she dedicated over 300 hours of community service—working with autistic children at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, volunteering in elementary schools, participating in the Special Olympics, planting trees for Trees for Humanity, and helping wherever she was needed. She brought the same passion and empathy to people that she brought to the field—wholehearted, humble, and kind.
She believed in lifting others. In using her platform to serve.
Her final social media post read:
We must remember that to be who God needs us to be we have to let go of our own feelings.
— Geri Ann Glasco (@G_Glasco12) January 21, 2019
That’s who Geri Ann was – not just a rising coach, but a light in the lives of everyone around her, especially her dad.
Geri Ann, before the tragedy, had hoped to create a foundation that supported aspiring female coaches getting into coaching at the DI, DII, and DIII levels. The very things Geri Ann had dreamed of building are left in a legacy with the Geri Ann Glasco Memorial Scholarship, created in partnership with the Natasha Watley Foundation. Its mission: to support and empower young women in coaching through scholarships, mentorships, and opportunities.
Now, as Glasco leads Texas Tech through a postseason run for the ages, there’s more at play than a national championship. He is led by spirit and a matchup against his daughter's former coach, Mike White.
"If Geri Ann could talk to you, she'd be just as happy if Coach White wins the national championship as her dad," he added. "She loved Coach White. It's just things that happen like that, and it's going to take me a while to digest to know what I really think, probably."
There’s legacy.
There’s grief.
Yet there’s also the love of a father still carrying his daughter’s dream forward.
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To support young women in this sport, donate to:
Geri Ann Glasco Memorial Scholarship (WeCoach)
Your gift helps create coaching opportunities for women ready to lead with heart, purpose, and grit—just like Geri Ann.
Katie Burkhart is a former professional softball pitcher and Arizona State University alumna, where she was a three-time All-American and led the Sun Devils to a national championship. She played professionally in the U.S., Japan, and Italy, and has coached at the Division I level. She now provides private pitching instruction and mindset training for athletes of all levels. Katie is also the author of Mental Muscle and Beyond the Game, books focused on athletic performance and life after sports.