University of California, Santa Barbara

Jo Evans became the Gauchos head coach in August of 2022. She was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Hall of Fame back in 2015, solidifying the impact she made on the game of softball. She comes into this position with the Gauchos with 1,300 wins, 714 losses and two ties. This record puts her in 11th in the NCAA for total career wins.

In the 2024 season, Evans led the Gauchos to a 20-28 overall record and showed a one-game improvement in Big West action going 14-13. The 2024 season was the first time the Gauchos have won 20 or more games in back-to-back seasons since 2017 and 2018. It is also the first time since 2017 the Gauchos have posted a winning record in The Big West. 

In her first season with the Gauchos Evans led her team to a 26-22 overall record and a 13-14 Big West record. The 26 wins is the most a Gaucho team has won since 2017 when they amassed 31 victories. The 2023 season saw UC Santa Barbara lead The Big West in multiple stat categories including batting average (.293), hits (377), triples (26), walks (164) and on-base percentage (.383).

Evans came to Santa Barbara from Texas A&M University, where she served as the head coach for 27 seasons. During her tenure, Evans led the Aggies to the NCAA postseason 22 times, with three trips to the Women's College World Series and seven trips to the NCAA Super Regionals. Along with that, she boasts an overall record of 987-504-2 for a .662 winning percentage between the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12.

As her teams found success, so did her players. Throughout her time with the Aggies, Evans had 23 All-Americans, 62 All-Region selections and 91 All-Conference honorees. She also coached four Big 12 Players of the Year, three Big 12 Pitchers of the Year, two Big 12 Freshmen of the Year and one two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Not only did Evans yield successful athletes, but her players were also good students. Over the course of her 27 years with Texas A&M, Evans led 99 academic all-conference honorees.

Prior to her time in College Station, Evans was the head coach at her alma mater Utah, leading the Utes to the Women's College World Series in just her second season with the program. She also made history with her 1994 team as the Utes took over the record books in every statistical category, had its highest finish at the WCWS as they ended in fifth, received its best national ranking as it sat in seventh in the nation in the Coaches' Poll, and earned the highest win percentage in program history with a .797. Evans was also named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year following that performance.

Evans' head coaching career kicked off at Colorado State, where she led the Rams for four seasons following her time as an assistant with Florida State. She turned around the Colorado State program, leading her team to a co-conference championship and earning herself the High Country Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

Before her coaching days, Evans was a student-athlete at Utah, where she received High Country All-Conference honors as she led her team to the World Series. She continued to excel on the field, receiving ASA All-America honors.