Gerry Glasco Named Back-to-Back Big 12 Coach of the Year
Texas Tech’s Gerry Glasco named the 2026 Big 12 Coach of the Year for softball on Wednesday as voted by his peers. This is the second consecutive year Glasco was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year.
Under Glasco, Texas Tech continued its rapid rise as one of the premier programs in college softball, capturing its second straight Big 12 regular season title while once again establishing itself among the nation’s elite.
The Red Raiders became the first team in the country to reach 50 wins this season while also setting a new program record for conference victories. Texas Tech enters postseason play leading the Big 12 in both team batting average and ERA and remains the only team in the country ranked inside the national top five in both categories.
Texas Tech currently ranks second nationally in batting average at .390 and fourth nationally in ERA at 1.70 while combining one of the nation’s most explosive offenses with one of its deepest pitching staffs.
The offense rewrote portions of the program record book throughout the spring.
The Red Raiders broke the single-season home run record, sitting at 118 currently, surpassing the previous mark of 74 set during the 2023 season, while also piling up 34 run-rule victories, including a stretch of seven consecutive run-rule wins during conference play.
Glasco’s club has consistently overwhelmed opponents in every phase this season behind a veteran roster loaded with star power and depth.
That dominance was reflected in Wednesday’s postseason honors.
Texas Tech placed seven players on the All-Big 12 teams, tied with Arizona Wildcats softball for the most selections in the conference.
Leading the First Team All-Big 12 selections for the Red Raiders were NiJaree Canady, Jackie Lis, Kaitlyn Terry and Mia Williams.
Second Team honors went to Jasmyn Burns, Mihyia Davis and Taylor Pannell.
Canady and Pannell were also named to the conference’s All-Defensive Team.
Individually, Canady added another major accolade to her historic career by earning Co-Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors, marking her second straight season winning the award and third consecutive conference Pitcher of the Year recognition overall dating back to her time at Stanford Cardinal softball.
Meanwhile, Terry continued to receive national recognition for her breakout two-way season. Although she was not selected as the conference’s Player of the Year by league coaches, the junior was recently named the Big 12 Player of the Year by USA Today after becoming the nation’s only player ranked inside the top 10 nationally in both batting average and ERA.
The individual accolades capped another remarkable regular season for Glasco, whose impact on the program has been immediate since arriving in Lubbock.
After leading Texas Tech to its first Women’s College World Series appearance and a national runner-up finish last season, Glasco returned a roster capable of competing for a national championship again in 2026 and the Red Raiders have spent much of the spring proving exactly that.
Now, with another conference championship secured and postseason honors continuing to pile up, Texas Tech turns its attention toward another postseason run with expectations higher than ever before. First up is the Big 12 tournament starting on Thursday in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Join the conversation with other Red Raiders on the Inside The Double T forum.
Subscribe today to get the most in-depth Texas Tech sports and recruiting coverage.
Follow us on X: @RedRaiderSports
Like and follow us on Instagram @rrs_rivals & like us on Facebook.
