| Mike White | |
| Current Title: | Head coach |
| Current Team: | Texas |
| Current Conference: | SEC |
| Birth Date: | 19 November 1967 |
| Birth Place: | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Alma Mater: | Mount Mercy |
| Coach Years1: | 2003–2004 |
| Coach Team1: | Oregon (asst.) |
| Coach Years2: | 2010–2018 |
| Coach Team2: | Oregon |
| Coach Years3: | 2019–present |
| Coach Team3: | Texas |
| Championships: | |
| Awards: |
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| Show-Medals: | yes |
| Medaltemplates: | |
Mike White is a New Zealand-born American softball coach who is the current head coach at Texas.[1]
A native of New Zealand's capital of Wellington, White grew up playing multiple sports, most notably soccer and softball. In a 2023 interview, White told ESPN writer Dave Wilson that he had hopes of making the national soccer team, but a planned training trip to Fiji and New Caledonia was scuttled due to civil unrest in Fiji. He had been a star pitcher in New Zealand, a hotbed for men's fast-pitch softball, and around the time his soccer trip was canceled, he received a call from the U.S. inviting him to play softball there. At the time, men's fast-pitch had a noticeably higher profile in the U.S. than it does today.[2]
White then spent the next decade-plus playing for various fast-pitch teams while running a resale shop in Iowa. In that day, many New Zealand men's softball players were recruited by American fast-pitch teams, typically spending a season or two in one place before moving to teams that offered more money. By contrast, White spent most of his U.S. playing career in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, attending and graduating from the local Mount Mercy University and marrying a local woman. He became a U.S. citizen in 1994. In softball, White won 70 games in world championship tournaments between 1990 and 2006, more than any other men's pitcher in that period. He pitched for 11 teams that won championships in the American Softball Association or International Softball Congress, and was named MVP of one of those organizations' tournaments five times.[2]
In 1997, White met Ralph Weekly, then the director of national teams for USA Softball. White expressed a wish to enter coaching, and Weekly was impressed by White's leadership potential. Weekly then spread the word about White's availability to the women's college softball community, and White would be hired by Oregon as a pitching coach in 2003. He left Oregon after two seasons, believing that being an assistant coach was not his best fit. White would spend the next several years helping to raise his three daughters, coaching their youth teams, and doing private instruction.[2]
White returned to Oregon after a five-year absence when he was announced as the Ducks' new head coach on June 30, 2009.[3] In the 2010 season, White led Oregon to their first-ever Super Regional bid by beating the eight seeded Georgia Tech. In 2012, Oregon reached their second-ever Women's College World Series, where they finished 5th among eight teams. In 2013, Mike White led Oregon to their first-ever Pac-12 Conference title. In 2014, Oregon had their best ever season finishing with a program-best 56 wins and advanced to the Women's College World Series. During the 2014 season, Oregon acquired their first ever number 1 ranking and swept rival Washington for the first time. In 2015, Oregon sported a program-best 21 Pac-12 Conference wins in a season, as well as, making the Women's College World Series for the third time in four years. In 2016, Oregon won their 4th straight Pac-12 Conference title. In 2017, Oregon made the Women's College World Series and made it to the semis of WCWS. In 2018, Oregon won their 5th Pac-12 Title, and made the Women's College World Series for the 5th time, as well as, reached 50 wins for the 5th time in program history.[4] After the 2018 season, it was announced that Mike White would accept the softball head coaching job at the University of Texas.[5] Longtime Oklahoma softball assistant coach Melyssa Lombardi would replace White as Oregon Head Softball Coach.[6]
On June 25, 2018, Texas hired Mike White as head coach of the Texas softball program to replace Connie Clark who was the program's only head coach.[7]