Jeff Cottrill Joins Texas Tech Softball Staff
The Texas Tech softball program has made two significant hires, bringing in assistant coaches Jeff Cottrill and Shelby Pendley to fill the vacancies left by Hunter Veach and Kayla Kowalik.
Cottrill, who was an assistant coach at the University of Houston this past season, brings a wealth of experience to the table. Before that, he was a Wichita Softball Academy coach (2011-16), the Oklahoma State director of operations (2016-17), an Oklahoma State assistant coach (2017-22), and a Missouri assistant coach (2022-25). He helped Oklahoma State make two trips to the Women's College World Series.
Pendley, a former star player at Arizona and Oklahoma, joins the staff after playing professionally for the USSSA Pride. She was coached by Gerry Glasco, the current Texas Tech head coach, during her time in the pros.
As a player, Pendley was a Big 12 player of the year in 2013 and again in 2015, when the Sooners won a national championship. She earned first-team all-America honors in 2014 and 2015 and was second in Big 12 history with an .874 slugging percentage and 65 home runs.
Cottrill's experience as a pitching coach at Oklahoma State is notable, as he helped the team's pitchers in 2018 and 2019. He then took over the hitters in 2020, a move that paid off as two of his hitters earned NFCA all-American honors that year.
The addition of Cottrill and Pendley to the Texas Tech staff is a significant move for the program, which has been the WCWS runner-up each of the past two years. With about 80 new scholarships added for the 2026-27 season, the program is looking to make a push for a national championship.
As the program looks to the future, it will be interesting to see how Cottrill and Pendley contribute to the team's success. With their experience and skills, they could be the key to helping Texas Tech take the next step and become a national champion.
Texas Tech has been the WCWS runner-up each of the past two years, going 54-14 in 2025 and 61-10 this year. With Cottrill and Pendley on board, the program is looking to build on that momentum and make a deep run in the tournament.
Source: Yahoo Sports