Glasco adds Tara Archibald as associate head coach
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco announced the hiring of Tara (Glasco) Archibald on Tuesday. Archibald will join the staff as the associate head coach and be the pitching coach.
Tara (Glasco) Archibald rejoins her father in Lubbock after spending five years as the head coach of Eastern Illinois. She led the Panthers to a 40-17 record and an Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title this past season, while being named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the year. The year before that, she led the Panthers to the program’s first ever NCAA Regional appearance after a 34-win season and winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
Archibald, who was 135-97 overall during her five seasons as a head coach, will join the staff as a pitching coach, which was her role at Illinois State from 2017-19. She was also an assistant coach at Georgia from 2011-14 where she coached with her father and helped the Bulldogs win the SEC Tournament in 2014 and advance to two NCAA Super Regionals in 2012 and 2014.
At Illinois State, Archibald helped increase the number of strikeouts from the pitching staff by 32% in her first year and 47% percent in her second year compared to the seasons prior to her arrival. She also coached second team All-Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher Morgan Day.
“Absolutely thrilled to get to coach with Tara again,” Glasco said. “It has been a decade since we were on staff together at Georgia under the phenomenal head coach Lu Harris Champer. Tara has continued to evolve as a coach in her time at EIU and her youthful passion and energy will be a tremendous asset in our goal to win a World Series here at Texas Tech.”
Archibald has a great track record with pitchers, coaching the 2023 OVC Pitcher of the Year and OVC Female Athlete of the Year Olivia Price. At EIU, she also coached McKenzie Oslanzi who was the 2024 OVC Freshman of the Year, a First Team All-Conference pitcher, a Second Team All-Region pitcher and an NFCA Top 25 Freshman. At Georgia, Archibald coached her late sister and 2013 SEC Freshman of the Year Geri Ann Glasco along with All-American pitchers Chelsea Wilkinson (2014) and Erin Arevalo (2012).
What They Are Saying:
Chelsea Wilkinson (Georgia pitching coach, All-American under Archibald in 2014) –
“I am so excited for Tara to have the opportunity to help lead the Texas Tech softball program. She is an incredible leader and coach, but an even better person. She empowers and brings out the best in everyone around her. The women at Texas Tech are blessed to be under her guidance and I am excited for the future of that program!”
Erin Arevalo (Campbell pitching coach, All-American under Archibald in 2012) –
“I’m so excited for Tara and excited to see what she’s going to do for the Texas Tech bullpen! She’s proven she can develop arms at all levels. I was fortunate enough to have her as my pitching coach for my senior year and in the short amount of time I worked with her, she was able to maximize my strengths in the circle and build my confidence. She’s a student of the game, an excellent communicator and she’s going to build trust with her pitchers to set them up for success. I can’t wait to see her pour her knowledge and enthusiasm for the game into her players.”
Olivia Price (former player under Archibald, 2023 OVC Pitcher of the Year) –
“Throughout my time at EIU, Coach Tara and I developed an unspoken understanding when it comes to pitching. We both understood that it would take some work for me to develop into the player I became. Given my accolades, all of that can be attributed to coach Tara’s undying belief that I was someone that could be something more. She knew what I needed to work on, and we never gave up on it. She takes what she is given and develops players into extraordinary players.”
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Release Provided By Jay Strader Texas Tech Athletics