Who is Mike White? Meet Texas softball coach who hails from New Zealand
Who is Mike White? Meet Texas softball coach who hails from New Zealand
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Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady and Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens lead WCWS players to watch
The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson highlights several Women's College World Series key players to watch.
The 2025 Women's College World Series has arrived, and the pool of coaches in the eight-team bracket in Oklahoma City consists of some of the top coaches in college softball.
One of those is Texas Longhorns coach Mike White.
In seven seasons at Texas, White – known for his distinct accent – has transformed the Longhorns' into one of the nation's top college softball programs. His time in Austin has included a seven-year run competing neck-and-neck with Oklahoma in the Big 12 and SEC.
REQUIRD READING: How does WCWS work? Explaining double-elimination format for NCAA softball tournament
After making the WCWS last season as a No. 1 overall seed in the bracket, White has taken Texas – led by Reese Atwood and Teagan Kavan – to the WCWS in back-to-back seasons for just the second time in program history.
Texas begins its quest to make its second consecutive WCWS championship series on Thursday, May 29 at noon ET against No. 3 Florida at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
Here's what to know about White ahead of the WCWS:
Who is Mike White?
Mike White is in his seventh season as Texas softball's coach, a position that he has held since June 25, 2018, when the Longhorns poached him from Oregon.
In his first season in Austin, White led the Longhorns to a 13-win improvement over the previous season and an appearance in the super regional round of the NCAA softball tournament.
Since then, the Longhorns have become one of the top softball programs in the country, highlighted by their 198-58-2 combined record in the last four seasons. In that time span, Texas has now made the WCWS three times in the last four years, a run that has included two appearances in the WCWS championship series, falling to Oklahoma in both.
White led Texas to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA softball tournament last season for the first time in program history. The Longhorns' appearance in the Austin Super Regional vs. Clemson this season kept alive White's consecutive streak of coaching a team to the super regionals at 15 consecutive seasons as a head coach (there was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID).
In total, White has led Texas to five appearances in the super regional round of the NCAA softball tournament and three trips to the WCWS. He also led Texas to the 2024 Big 12 regular season title.
REQUIRED READING: Does college softball have a run rule? How NCAA Tournament, WCWS games can end early
He got his start in coaching as an assistant coach at Oregon, where he was from 2003-04. Then in 2010, he took over as the Ducks' head coach, turning Oregon into a nationally known and respected program.
During his nine-year stint in Eugene and the Pac-12, White led the Ducks to a 435-11-1 overall record, five Pac-12 tournament titles and five appearances in the WCWS. When Oregon advanced to the WCWS in 2012 under White, it was the program's first trip to Oklahoma City since 1989.
The Ducks' best season under White came in 2018, when they earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA softball tournament with a 53-10 overall record. Oregon finished in the top 10 of several categories that season, including third in winning percentage (.841) and fifth in team ERA (1.38).
Mike White softball coaching history, record
In his 16 seasons as a head coach, White has posted a 749-103-3 combined overall record at Oregon and Texas.
Entering Thursday's start of the Women's College World Series, White has led the Longhorns to a 311-92-2 overall record. The Longhorns' 51 wins this year marks the second consecutive season they've reached at least 50 wins under White.
Here's a breakdown of White's career as a college softball coach at Oregon and Texas:
Oregon (2010-2018): 435-11-1
435-11-1 Texas (2019-present): 311-92-2
Here's a year-by-year breakdown of how Texas has fared under White:
2019: 46-17
46-17 2020: 24-3
24-3 2021: 43-14
43-14 2022: 47-22-1
47-22-1 2023: 45-15-1
45-15-1 2024: 55-10
55-10 2025: 51-11
Where is Texas softball coach Mike White from?
White hails from Wellington, New Zealand, and became a U.S. Citizen in 1994.
In 2000, he helped guide Team USA's national fastpitch softball team to a bronze medal at the World Championships. He also helped lead Team USA to several other medals in international play as a pitcher, including three silver medals at the Pan American Games in 1995, 1999 and 2003. White posted a 3-2 record with a 0.68 ERA in the 1995 Pan American Games.
White threw a perfect game in the championship game of the 1996 ISF World Championships against Canada as a member of New Zealand's team. He retired from playing in 2007, three years before he landed his first head coaching job at Oregon.
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