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Saturday, March 14, 2026

The Highest-Paid College Softball Coaches

  • Patty Gasso of Oklahoma is the only college softball coach earning over a million a year.
  • 12 coaches from the SEC are among the highest-paid college softball coaches.
Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings (23), Kinzie Hansen (9), Rylie Boone (0) and Jayda Coleman (24) celebrate following the second game of the Women's College World Championship Series between the Oklahoma Sooners and Florida State at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Thursday, June, 8, 2023.
SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN

When it comes to the highest-paid college softball coaches of 2025, one name towers above the rest. Oklahoma’s Patty Gasso takes the crown as the highest-paid college softball coach. 

She is almost in a league of her own.

Gasso earns $1.9 million a year to coach the Sooners. She is the only college softball coach who earns over a million a year.

Gasso outearns many college baseball coaches, a rarity when women trail men in salary in most sports

It’s not hard to see why she stands alone.

The Sooners have made every NCAA tournament since Gasso took over in 1995. She’s led them to 16 Women’s College World Series appearances. In 2024, Gasso led them to their fourth straight national championship.

Her title doesn’t seem like it will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Second on the list is Mike White of Texas. White earns $625,000 annually to coach the Longhorns. 

White has racked up an impressive .741 winning percentage in his six seasons at Texas. He’s reached the Women’s World Series seven times with Oregon and Texas. That mark has him tied for fifth-most appearances out of the highest-paid coaches. 

Lonni Alameda comes in at third on the list. Alameda earns $600,000 to coach the Florida State Seminoles. 

Since her appointment in 2009, the Seminoles have made an NCAA tournament appearance every season. She led them to the top of the sport in 2018 when they won a national championship. 

Florida’s Tim Walton comes in as the fourth-highest-paid college softball coach. Walton makes $550,855 a year to lead the Gators. 

Walton has spent 20 years in Gainesville and has racked up over 1,100 wins in his time.

At fifth on the list, Trisha Ford of Texas A&M earns $540,000 a year. Ford was the only Power 5 coach to lead her team to a NCAA tournament appearance in her first season in 2023.

Only the top seven highest-paid college softball coaches earn $500,000 or more.

Ranking The Highest-Paid College Softball Coaches

Here is the entire list of the highest-paid college softball coaches of 2025. The list was compiled with data from Sports Daily.

  • Updated: March 24, 2025
RankCoachTeamTotal Compensation
1Patty GassoOklahoma$1.9 million
2Mike WhiteTexas$625,000
3Lonni AlamedaFlorida State$600,000
4Tim WaltonFlorida$550,855
5Trisha FordTexas A&M$540,000
6Patrick MurphyAlabama$530,000
7Karen WeeklyTennessee$525,000
8Beth TorinaLSU$505,000
9Courtney DeifelArkansas$475,000
10Heather TarrWashington$438,500
11Melyssa LombardiOregon$385,000
12Jo EvansUC Santa Barbara$375,000
13Rachel LawsonKentucky$360,000
14Kelly Inouye-PerezUCLA$325,000
15Mickey DeanAuburn$300,000
16Larissa AndersonMissouri$289,406
17Megan Smith LyonUNC$285,000
18Jessica AllisterStanford$275,000
19Laura BergOregon State$265,000
20Jamie TraschelOle Miss$255,000

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