The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Coach, Softball
After building the University of Oregon’s softball program into a consistent national power from 2010-18, Mike White was named Head Softball Coach at The University of Texas on June 25, 2018, by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte.
White holds a 695-191-3 overall record (.783) over 15 combined seasons and has led his teams to at least an NCAA Super Regional berth in all 14 possible chances during his career as a head coach (no 2020 NCAA Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Through his six years at Texas, White has put together a 260-81-2 overall record (.760) while guiding the Longhorns on runs to national runner-up finishes at the 2022 and 2024 Women's College World Series (WCWS) as well four additional NCAA Super Regional berths (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024). During his stint in charge of the Longhorns program, White has had six NFCA All-Americans, 10 Softball America All-Americans, 22 NFCA All-Central Region and 32 All-Big 12 Conference selections. He's also coached one USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 3 Finalist, one Softball America National Player of the Year and one D1Softball National Player of the Year. He was also named the Big 12 Coach of the Year following the Longhorns' success throughout the 2024 season.
Overseeing the program from a GM-like role, White was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year after helping the Texas Longhorns win their first Big 12 Conference regular season championship since the 2010 season after winning 23 regular season conference games en route to a 55-10 mark in his 15th season at the helm. UT went on to win the NCAA Austin Regional and NCAA Austin Super Regional, before making its second appearance in the Championship Series of the WCWS over the last three seasons. As a result of taking the regular season series against then-No. 1 Oklahoma, winning the Big 12 Conference regular season championship and appearing in the Women's College World Series (WCWS) Championship Series, White and the rest of UT's four-member softball coaching staff were selected as the 2024 ATEC/NFCA Division I Central Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. Under his coaching and guidance, the Longhorns set 15 team single-season records and two individual game records. Additionally, sophomore Reese Atwood set five individual single-season records en route to being named a consensus (D1Softball, Softball America, NFCA) First Team All-American as well as being named the Big 12 Player of the Year, Softball American and D1Softball's National Player of the Year and one of three finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Staying true to his pitching roots, when Teagan Kavan was given the ball, the true freshman excelled in the pitching circle. Kavan, a two-time Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Softball American and D1Softball Freshman All-American.
In 2023, White, again, guided the Texas Longhorns to postseason success as the program made its 23rd appearance in a NCAA Super Regional after winning the minimal three games to win the NCAA Austin Regional en route to finishing the campaign with a 45-15-1 record and a No. 11 final ranking. Behind a stella quintet of freshmen, all of which went on to set a Big 12 Conference record for the most selections (5) to the league's all-freshman team by a single team, Texas finished second in the Big 12's regular season standings and postseason tournament, but earned an opportunity to host a NCAA Regional. In the opening game of said regional, Mac Morgan and Estelle Czech combined to throw the first program's first combined no-hitter in postseason history when the duo blanked Seton Hall during Texas' eight-run victory over the Pirates. By season's end, the Longhorns had the eighth-highest batting average (.325) in all of Division I softball, while also being credited with the 14th-most doubles (89) and the 14th-highest scoring offense at 6.07 runs per contest. Morgan, who guided the team's pitching staff with 18 wins, Mia Scott, who concluded the season with a team-leading 75 hits, and Leighann Goode, who became the first student-athlete in program history to begin her Longhorn career with a hitting streak that reached double digits, all earned NFCA All-Central Region honors.
The 2022 season proved to be a magical ride for Texas as the Longhorns posted a 47-22-1 mark, and won 15 games over ranked teams, on their way to a No. 2 final national ranking & a national runner-up finish while becoming the first unseeded team to reach the Women’s College World Series Championship Series. Overall, the Burnt Orange & White offense was arguably the best in school history, setting new single-season team records for runs (397), hits (560), doubles (116), total bases (906), walks (224) and RBIs (355), while registering top five Texas totals for HR’s (68) and stolen bases (97). The squad's 116 doubles topped all of NCAA Division I, while the 224 walks were good for seventh in the nation. UT also led the Big 12 Conference in double plays-per-game (0.43) and stolen bases-per-game (1.39). Seniors Janae Jefferson and Hailey Dolcini earned NFCA, Softball America and DI Softball All-American honors, while Jefferson became the Big 12 Conference's career hits leader. Standouts Mary Iakopo & Mia Scott joined Jefferson & Dolcini in earning NFCA All-Central Region honors. In all, seven Longhorns reaped All-Big 12 Conference selections (Jefferson, Dolcini, Iakopo, Scott, Katie Cimusz, Sophia Simpson, Alyssa Washington).
The 2021 campaign saw the Burnt Orange & White set numerous program offensive records on the way to a 43-14 overall record, a No. 12 final ranking and a berth in the NCAA Stillwater Super Regional. The program put up school records in team batting average (.342 - third in NCAA Division I), slugging (.561 - seventh NCAA) and on-base percentage (.419 - fourth NCAA) and top five single-season school marks for hits (512 - third NCAA), doubles (79), RBIs (338) and HR’s (78). Junior second baseman Janae Jefferson was named a NFCA (third time) and Softball America Third Team All-American, while seven Longhorns were named to the various NFCA All-Region and All-Big 12 Conference squads.
During the abbreviated 2020 campaign, that was canceled in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic, White led UT to a 24-3 overall record as well as to the program's first No. 1 national ranking in any regular-season poll since 2006 (Softball America - March 3) and to the first No. 1 final poll finish in school history (Softball America - March 24 - final release). Senior pitcher Miranda Elish was named Softball America's Shortened Season National Player of the Year, Elish and junior second baseman Janae Jefferson were both tabbed as Softball America Shortened Season All-Americans and Texas' offense led all of NCAA Division I in team batting average (.376) and total doubles (62). Texas also ranked in the NCAA Division I national top 10 in doubles-per-game (2nd – 2.30), on-base percentage (3rd - .450), solo shutouts (4th – 10), slugging percentage (5th – .597), won/loss percentage (6th – .889) and scoring (8th – 7.37). During the season, UT rallied for eight come-from-behind wins, went 5-1 against ranked teams (including beating the top two teams in the nation in consecutive games for the first time in school history – No. 1 UCLA & No. 2 Washington) and scored more runs over the first 27 games (199) than any squad in program history.
White wasted no time putting his stamp on the Texas program during his first season at the helm in 2019, leading the Longhorns to a 46-17 record (a 15-win improvement from the 2018 campaign), a No. 10 final ranking in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll (No. 11 in the USA Today/NFCA ranking) as well as the first NCAA Regional title and NCAA Super Regional appearance for the Burnt Orange & White since 2013. He mentored three Softball America All-Americans, pitchers Elish & Shealyn O'Leary as well as Jefferson, a pair of NFCA All-Americans (Elish & Jefferson), three NFCA All-Central Region inclusions (Elish, Jefferson & catcher Mary Iakopo) and five All-Big 12 selections (Elish, Jefferson, Iakopo, O'Leary and outfielder Kaitlyn Washington). From a pitching standpoint, Elish completed the season with 18 wins, led the Big 12 with 11 solo shutouts and finished second in the league with 226 strikeouts. O'Leary was the NCAA Division I statistical champion in ERA at 0.65, was named Softball America's National Freshman Pitcher of the Year and was a top 10 finalist for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year award.
During his nine years at the helm of the UO program, White registered a 435-111-1 (.796) overall record while guiding Oregon to five Pac-12 Conference titles in the last six years, including four in a row from 2013-16, and to five 50-plus win seasons. He led the Ducks to five of the program’s six overall WCWS berths (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018) and to the school’s first ever NFCA No. 1 ranking in 2014 (also reached No. 1 in the polls in 2015 & 2018). Along the way, he tutored 22 NFCA All-Americans, 56 NFCA All-Region selections, 50 All-Pac-12 honorees, five Pac-12 Pitchers of the Year, two Pac-12 batting champions, three Pac-12 Freshmen of the Year and one Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
During the 2018 campaign, Oregon posted a 53-10 overall record while winning the Pac-12 title, earning the No. 1 national seed for the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the WCWS. The Ducks finished the season third in NCAA Division I in winning percentage (.841), fifth in earned run average (1.38), seventh in team batting average (.322), ninth in home runs-per-game (1.24) and 10th in scoring (6.11).
In all, four players reaped 2018 NFCA All-American accolades as catcher Gwen Svekis, pitcher Megan Kleist, pitcher Miranda Elish and third baseman Jenna Lilley all were named to the prestigious squads. Elish (25-2 pitching record) and Kleist (21-7) both posted more than 20 wins and finished the campaign at 12th and 17th in the nation in ERA, respectively. Svekis hit a team-leading 17 home runs and rated in the national top 20 for RBIs (60), while Lilley batted .363 with a squad-best 14 doubles, five homers and 41 RBIs.
A well-known quantity throughout the softball world as both a coach and former pitching standout for U.S. National Teams, White followed up a previous two-year stint as an Oregon assistant coach (2003-04) by taking over as the head coach of the Oregon program prior to the 2010 campaign.
A standout during his own fastpitch playing career, White was a top pitcher on U.S. National Teams before retiring in 2007. A native of New Zealand, he became an American citizen in 1994 and helped guide Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2000 World Championships, going 2-0 with a 0.89 ERA and 19 strikeouts. In 1999, he posted a 3-2 mark with a 0.68 ERA and 35 K’s in helping the United States to a Pan American Games silver medal (one of three he earned with the team - 1995, 1999 & 2003). He also posted a combined 0.74 ERA while helping power New Zealand to two gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze, including gold at the ISF World Championships in 1984 & 1996. During that 1996 event, White tossed a perfect game in the championship contest against Canada.
White was a pitching leader on 11 teams that won ASA/ISC Championships, earning five MVP awards in the process. He remains the ISC career wins leader with 70 national championship victories. He was also selected to 10 ASA National Championship and 10 ISC World Championship All-Tournament Teams.
For his efforts both as a player and a coach, White was inducted into seven different Halls of Fame. Those include the International Softball Congress (ISC) World Hall of Fame, the International Softball Federation (ISF) Hall of Fame, the ASA/USA Softball Hall of Fame, the New Zealand Softball Hall of Fame, the Oregon Hall of Fame, the Missouri Hall of Fame and the State of Iowa Hall of Fame.
The Wellington, New Zealand, native earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing and management from Mount Mercy College (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) in 1989. He is married to the former Lisa Revers, and the couple have three daughters: Nyree, Kenzie and Sidney.
