A&M Softball Coaches Earn Regional Staff of the Year Honors
Jun 30, 2008 | Softball
June 30, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas- Texas A&M Head Softball Coach Jo Evans and Associate Head Coaches Joy Jackson and Mary Jo Firnbach were voted the 2008 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year, it was announced today.
"I am very excited to have our staff honored by the NFCA," Evans said. "We encountered some unexpected setbacks this season, and our staff and team fought through and came together to reach our goal of making it back to Oklahoma City. I've said it many times before, I feel like I have the best staff in the nation. I attribute much of our program's success to the hard work and dedication of JJ (Jackson) and MJ (Firnbach)."
Evans and her staff guided the Aggies to their second consecutive Women's College World Series appearance, where A&M advanced to the NCAA Championship Series against the Arizona State Sun Devils.
A&M had two players, Megan Gibson and Jamie Hinshaw, named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Midwest Region team with both advancing to earn Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America honors.
In her 12th season as the Aggies' head coach, Evans earned her third Big 12 Coach of the Year honor after posting a 17-1 conference record, picking up A&M's second Big 12 regular season title in since 2005, as well as the program's first Big 12 Championship tournament title.
"JJ and MJ have both played integral parts in advancing our program to the next level," Evans said. "JJ does a fantastic job with our outfielders while MJ helps our hitters to identify and make the necessary adjustments at the plate. Our staff works very well together to create an environment where our players are being motivated and driven to be produce quality results both on the field and in the classroom."
The Aggies finished the season ranked No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll with a 57-10 overall record and led the nation with a .983 fielding percentage.
