KU AD Travis Goff announces contract extension for head softball coach Jennifer McFalls

Jordan Guskey, Topeka Capital-Journal

May 18, 2023 at 7:32 PM·3 min read

Kansas head softball coach Jennifer McFalls looks on April 24 earlier this year, the day of a game against Texas Tech in Lawrence.

LAWRENCE — Kansas head softball coach Jennifer McFalls has received a contract extension, Jayhawks athletic director Travis Goff announced Thursday.

McFalls’ extension — which is for four years through the 2027 season, is guaranteed through the first three and has a yearly salary of $175,000 — comes after she’d recently completed her fifth season leading the program. In it, Kansas finished 25-27 with a 5-13 mark against the Big 12 Conference during the regular season. That’s the most wins the Jayhawks have had in a season since 2018 and the most conference wins in a season since 2016.

“I am extremely appreciative of the support and trust that Travis Goff and Nicole Corcoran have placed in me to continue leading the softball program at The University of Kansas,” McFalls said in a release. “I have a strong passion for this program, our players, our fans and the direction we are heading. We have made some significant strides and I’m excited to see these players continue to work toward achieving our goals. The University of Kansas is an exemplary institution and the support, relationships and family environment in the athletic department are special. The future is very bright for KU Athletics and KU Softball and I am incredibly thankful to be a part of it.”

Kansas head softball coach Jennifer McFalls speaks with players March 13 earlier this year during a game against Iowa in Lawrence.

Kansas has been looking to break through in a challenging Big 12 league with each season of McFalls’ tenure. Among the aforementioned signs of progress, the Jayhawks also won a game in the Big 12 tournament as a No. 6 seed by upsetting a No. 3 seed in Oklahoma State. That’s the first win in a Big 12 tournament for Kansas since 2007, which is the year that followed the Jayhawks’ last Big 12 tournament championship.

As Kansas moves forward, it’ll look for its first winning season since 2018. It’ll look for its first NCAA tournament appearance since it made back-to-back trips in 2014-15. It’ll have to handle a new-look Big 12 as conference realignment brings changes to the conference make-up.

Lizzy Ludwig, a pitcher/utility player who made the All-Big 12 freshman this past season, is set to be a part of that effort. So, too, is a junior catcher/utility player in Lyric Moore who was an all-region, third-team selection by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) for Division I. Since McFalls has taken over the Jayhawks have had seven All-Big 12 selections and three NFCA all-region players, and with more progress should certainly be more names on those lists.

“Coach McFalls has our softball program on an exciting upward trajectory,” Goff said in the release. “This season was another positive step forward for the program, earning the most conference wins since 2016 and first Big 12 Championship win since 2007. Coach McFalls has demonstrated a track record of building a healthy culture, developing her student-athletes both off and on the field, and creating momentum in recruiting. We are committed to partnering with her and her staff to push Kansas Softball to even greater heights.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas head softball coach Jennifer McFalls gets contract extension