Jessica Allister Leaving Gophers To Coach Stanford

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The University of Minnesota announced Tuesday that softball coach Jessica Allister is leaving the program.

Allister has accepted the head coaching position at Stanford, where she played in college. She put the Gophers softball program on the national radar last season, leading them to the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.

Minnesota set a program record this season with 56 wins, and at one time during the season the Gophers were the No. 1-ranked team in the country. The Gophers made national headlines after solidifying an NCAA Tournament bid, but not receiving one of the top 16 seeds for the tournament and a first-round home regional.

The Gophers had to travel to Alabama, where they were eventually eliminated by the Crimson Tide.

Allister was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year this past season.