Texas A&M's Trisha Ford speaks after the NCAA selection show

Texas A&M head softball coach Trisha Ford didn’t sugarcoat her reaction to the Aggies landing the No. 16 national seed, which secures a third straight NCAA Regional at Davis Diamond.

“It’s going to be a tough regional,” Ford said after the bracket reveal.

The Aggies ended up almost exactly where projections had them grabbing one of the final hosting spots and sitting on a collision course with the Texas Longhorns in a potential Super Regional. But the more compelling storyline is the one that hits closer to home for Ford and her staff.

As is often the case for lower‑seeded hosts, A&M drew one of the strongest bubble teams in the field. This time, that team is Arizona State, where Ford spent six seasons and led the Sun Devils to a Women’s College World Series berth. The matchup adds a personal twist to an already challenging weekend.

"I enjoyed my time there um but obviously chose to come to A&M and be in the SEC and I'm very happy about that choice."

A&M’s early exit from last year’s regional will be a talking point all week, but Ford made it clear that this group isn’t carrying that baggage.

"I addressed it. kind of an elephant in the room. So, I just said, "Hey, last year was last year and this year is this year and this team is different." And I think one of the things that this team really does a great job is they bond together"

The Aggies will open the College Station Regional with a renewed sense of identity, a tougher draw than most 16‑seeds, and a head coach facing a familiar opponent all ingredients for one of the more intriguing regionals in the bracket.

Below is the full interview with Coach Trisha Ford.