Mike White

Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Texas
Conference	Big 12
Record	238–77–2 (.754)
Biographical details
Born	(1967-11-19) November 19, 1967 (age 56) Wellington, New Zealand
Alma mater	Mount Mercy
Coaching career ( HC unless noted)
2003–2004	Oregon (asst.)
2010–2018	Oregon
2019–present	Texas
Head coaching record
Overall	673–188–3 (.781)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
5× Pac-12 Regular Season Champions (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018)
Awards
3× Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2013, 2014, 2016) 3× NFCA Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year (2013, 2014, 2017)
Medal record Men’s softball Representing   New Zealand Men's Softball World Championship 1984 Midland Team competition 1996 Midland Team competition 1988 Saskatoon Team competition 1992 Manila / Pasig Team competition Representing the   United States Men's Softball World Championship 2000 East London Team competition Pan American Games 1999 Winnipeg Team competition

Mike White is a New Zealand-born American softball coach who is the current head coach at Texas. ^[1]

Early life

A native of New Zealand's capital of Wellington, White grew up playing multiple sports, most notably soccer and softball. In a 2023 interview, White told ESPN writer Dave Wilson that he had hopes of making the national soccer team, but a planned training trip to Fiji and New Caledonia was scuttled due to civil unrest in Fiji. He had been a star pitcher in New Zealand, a hotbed for men's fast-pitch softball, and around the time his soccer trip was canceled, he received a call from the U.S. inviting him to play softball there. At the time, men's fast-pitch had a noticeably higher profile in the U.S. than it does today. ^[2]

White then spent the next decade-plus playing for various fast-pitch teams while running a resale shop in Iowa. In that day, many New Zealand men's softball players were recruited by American fast-pitch teams, typically spending a season or two in one place before moving to teams that offered more money. By contrast, White spent most of his U.S. playing career in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, attending and graduating from the local Mount Mercy University and marrying a local woman. He became a U.S. citizen in 1994. In softball, White won 70 games in world championship tournaments between 1990 and 2006, more than any other men's pitcher in that period. He pitched for 11 teams that won championships in the American Softball Association or International Softball Congress, and was named MVP of one of those organizations' tournaments five times. ^[2]

Coaching career

In 1997, White met Ralph Weekly, then the director of national teams for USA Softball. White expressed a wish to enter coaching, and Weekly was impressed by White's leadership potential. Weekly then spread the word about White's availability to the women's college softball community, and White would be hired by Oregon as a pitching coach in 2003. He left Oregon after two seasons, believing that being an assistant coach was not his best fit. White would spend the next several years helping to raise his three daughters, coaching their youth teams, and doing private instruction. ^[2]

Oregon

White returned to Oregon after a five-year absence when he was announced as the Ducks' new head coach on June 30, 2009. ^[3] In the 2010 season, White led Oregon to their first-ever Super Regional bid by beating the eight seeded Georgia Tech. In 2012, Oregon reached their second-ever Women's College World Series, where they finished 5th among eight teams. In 2013, Mike White led Oregon to their first-ever Pac-12 Conference title. In 2014, Oregon had their best ever season finishing with a program-best 56 wins and advanced to the Women's College World Series. During the 2014 season, Oregon acquired their first ever number 1 ranking and swept rival Washington for the first time. In 2015, Oregon sported a program-best 21 Pac-12 Conference wins in a season, as well as, making the Women's College World Series for the third time in four years. In 2016, Oregon won their 4th straight Pac-12 Conference title. In 2017, Oregon made the Women's College World Series and made it to the semis of WCWS. In 2018, Oregon won their 5th Pac-12 Title, and made the Women's College World Series for the 5th time, as well as, reached 50 wins for the 5th time in program history. ^[4] After the 2018 season, it was announced that Mike White would accept the softball head coaching job at the University of Texas. ^[5] Longtime Oklahoma softball assistant coach Melyssa Lombardi would replace White as Oregon Head Softball Coach. ^[6]

Texas

On June 25, 2018, Texas hired Mike White as head coach of the Texas softball program to replace Connie Clark who was the program's only head coach. ^[7]

Head coaching record

College

References