COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M associate head softball coach Jeff Harger was named a finalist for D1 Softball’s 2026 National Assistant Coach of the Year award, the publication announced on Wednesday.
Entering his fifth season at Texas A&M, Harger oversees the offense and infielders for the Aggies. Last season, the offense set a school record with a .574 slugging percentage and ranked in the top 25 nationally in on-base percentage (.443 / No. 6), batting average (.340 / No. 16), walks (244 / No. 19), runs/game (6.95 / No. 22), RBIs (368 / No. 23) and home runs (83 / No. 24). The Aggies’ three top hitters in terms of batting average –Mya Perez, Kennedy Powell and Ariel Kowalewski - earned NFCA All-Central Region honors, as did home run leader Micaela Wark.
Multiple transfers made huge offensive strides in their first seasons under Harger in 2026. In her lone season at Texas A&M, Wark established career highs in virtually every offensive category while leading the Aggies with 21 home runs and 71 RBI. Also in her lone season in Aggieland, Tallen Edwards broke out with career highs in batting average, RBI, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Kowalewski improved her batting average by over 70 points and lowered her strikeout percentage by over half from her freshman to sophomore season. Paisley Allen improved her OPS (on-base plus slugging) from .669 to .885 while adding 163 points to her slugging percentage.
Under his guidance, the Aggies’ offense has reached new heights, setting school standards for runs, doubles, runs batted in, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in his four seasons in Aggieland.
The Maroon & White has generated at least two of the top three seasons in school history in five batting statistical categories under Harger – hits, runs, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Additionally, Texas A&M has achieved three straight seasons of .400-plus on-base percentage and .500-plus slugging percentage.