Tulsa Tabs DJ Gasso as Head Softball Coach
6/5/2026 10:00:00 AM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. — DJ Gasso has been named the seventh head coach in Tulsa Softball history, Vice President and Director of Athletics Justin Moore announced on Friday. Gasso, one of the preeminent hitting coaches in the country, spent the last three seasons at Arkansas, helping the Razorbacks to the program's first Women's College World Series this season behind one of the best offenses in the nation.
"I could not be more thankful and excited to be the next head coach at the University of Tulsa," said Gasso. "I am grateful for Coach (Courtney) Deifel and everyone at Arkansas for the last three years to help me get to where I am today. To fulfill a lifelong dream in my home state means everything. Tulsa Softball has seen days of excellence, and our intention is to bring that back."
"We are excited to welcome DJ as the next leader of Tulsa softball," said Moore. "Throughout the hiring process it became clear that he possesses all the necessary qualities of what we were looking for in a head coach. His resumé speaks for itself, as he has been one of the best hitting coaches in the nation for the last several seasons. We are confident our program is in great hands and cannot wait for the spring."
Under Gasso's guidance the Razorbacks set numerous program offensive records, including runs scored, RBI, walks, doubles, on-base percentage, batting average and sacrifice flies. This season the Razorbacks ranked among the best in the country in batting average (18th, .340), doubles (22nd, 97), hits (21st, 522), home runs (26th, 81), on-base percentage (11th, .441), RBI (10th, 413), runs (10th, 450), slugging percentage (20th, .567), and walks (14th, 251).
Gasso's high-powered offense has won 26 games this season via the run rule, an Arkansas program record, while only winning 21 times in seven innings. This season the Razorbacks became the second team in NCAA history to win their first five games in the NCAA Tournament via the run rule. In Gasso's three seasons in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks are 111-4 (.965) when outhitting the opponent.
Thanks to Gasso's tutelage, Ella McDowell earned 2026 First Team All-American honors from the NFCA, hitting .337 with 11 home runs, 56 RBI, and an OPS of 1.007. Gasso also coached Bri Ellis into one of the best hitters in America in 2025, earned USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honors with a .440 batting average, 26 home runs, 72 RBI, and a 1.726 OPS, setting school records in home runs, RBI, runs scored, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. In Ellis' first season with Gasso, she saw a major increase in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage and eventually taken No. 2 overall in the AUSL Draft.
Prior to Arkansas, Gasso was the hitting coach for Utah for three seasons. Gasso helped the Utes win the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament Championship and eventually reach the WCWS, the program's first appearance in Oklahoma City since 1994. He was part of the staff that was named the D1Softball National Coaching Staff of the Year as well as the ATEC/NFCA Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year. Under his watch, 11 Utah hitters earned NFCA All-Region honors along with a NFCA All-America nod.
In his first season at Utah in 2021, Gasso helped the Utes hit 46 home runs, their most in a season since 2012, and score 237 runs, their most since 2017. The team improved its batting average by 22 points in 2022 and four hitters earned All-Pac 12 honors, three named to the NFCA All-Region squad, and Ellessa Bonstrom earned All-American honors.
A native of Norman, Oklahoma, Gasso earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Bradley University in 2017 where he played two seasons of baseball after one year at Hutchinson Community College. He finished his playing career at Central Oklahoma in 2018 and earned a master's degree in intercollegiate athletics administration from Oklahoma, while serving as a graduate manager with the softball team.
A graduate of Norman North High School, Gasso is the son of Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso and the brother of Oklahoma associate head coach JT Gasso. His father, Jim Gasso, was the former the head softball coach at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City.
DJ and his wife Grace have a son, Parker, and daughter Glory.
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the softball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.
"I could not be more thankful and excited to be the next head coach at the University of Tulsa," said Gasso. "I am grateful for Coach (Courtney) Deifel and everyone at Arkansas for the last three years to help me get to where I am today. To fulfill a lifelong dream in my home state means everything. Tulsa Softball has seen days of excellence, and our intention is to bring that back."
"We are excited to welcome DJ as the next leader of Tulsa softball," said Moore. "Throughout the hiring process it became clear that he possesses all the necessary qualities of what we were looking for in a head coach. His resumé speaks for itself, as he has been one of the best hitting coaches in the nation for the last several seasons. We are confident our program is in great hands and cannot wait for the spring."
Under Gasso's guidance the Razorbacks set numerous program offensive records, including runs scored, RBI, walks, doubles, on-base percentage, batting average and sacrifice flies. This season the Razorbacks ranked among the best in the country in batting average (18th, .340), doubles (22nd, 97), hits (21st, 522), home runs (26th, 81), on-base percentage (11th, .441), RBI (10th, 413), runs (10th, 450), slugging percentage (20th, .567), and walks (14th, 251).
Gasso's high-powered offense has won 26 games this season via the run rule, an Arkansas program record, while only winning 21 times in seven innings. This season the Razorbacks became the second team in NCAA history to win their first five games in the NCAA Tournament via the run rule. In Gasso's three seasons in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks are 111-4 (.965) when outhitting the opponent.
Thanks to Gasso's tutelage, Ella McDowell earned 2026 First Team All-American honors from the NFCA, hitting .337 with 11 home runs, 56 RBI, and an OPS of 1.007. Gasso also coached Bri Ellis into one of the best hitters in America in 2025, earned USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honors with a .440 batting average, 26 home runs, 72 RBI, and a 1.726 OPS, setting school records in home runs, RBI, runs scored, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. In Ellis' first season with Gasso, she saw a major increase in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage and eventually taken No. 2 overall in the AUSL Draft.
Prior to Arkansas, Gasso was the hitting coach for Utah for three seasons. Gasso helped the Utes win the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament Championship and eventually reach the WCWS, the program's first appearance in Oklahoma City since 1994. He was part of the staff that was named the D1Softball National Coaching Staff of the Year as well as the ATEC/NFCA Pacific Region Coaching Staff of the Year. Under his watch, 11 Utah hitters earned NFCA All-Region honors along with a NFCA All-America nod.
In his first season at Utah in 2021, Gasso helped the Utes hit 46 home runs, their most in a season since 2012, and score 237 runs, their most since 2017. The team improved its batting average by 22 points in 2022 and four hitters earned All-Pac 12 honors, three named to the NFCA All-Region squad, and Ellessa Bonstrom earned All-American honors.
A native of Norman, Oklahoma, Gasso earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Bradley University in 2017 where he played two seasons of baseball after one year at Hutchinson Community College. He finished his playing career at Central Oklahoma in 2018 and earned a master's degree in intercollegiate athletics administration from Oklahoma, while serving as a graduate manager with the softball team.
A graduate of Norman North High School, Gasso is the son of Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso and the brother of Oklahoma associate head coach JT Gasso. His father, Jim Gasso, was the former the head softball coach at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City.
DJ and his wife Grace have a son, Parker, and daughter Glory.
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the softball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.
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