Ryker Chason enters his second season as Auburn’s assistant softball coach and pitching coach in 2026 after being named to the inaugural staff of co-head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux in June 2024. In his first season on the Plains, Chason helped guide the Tigers to a 35-24 record and an 11th consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. Despite inheriting a pitching staff that returned the fewest innings pitched in the SEC, he oversaw a breakout campaign from transfer pitcher SJ Geurin, who earned NFCA All-Gulf Region Second Team honors. Geurin recorded 23 wins and four saves, ranking among the SEC and national leaders in total victories while tossing five complete games after never having thrown one previously in her collegiate career.
Before Auburn, Chason spent three seasons at Ole Miss, where his pitching staffs consistently ranked among the SEC’s best. In 2023, the Rebels posted a 2.91 ERA and nine shutouts, following a 2022 season that included 13 shutouts and the program’s first no-hitter since 2014. He previously served as a student coach at LSU, contributing to 157 team wins, multiple NCAA Regional titles, and a Women’s College World Series appearance. A former member of the U.S. Junior Men’s National Team, Chason competed in two WBSC Junior Men’s World Championships. The Grand Ridge, Florida native holds a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from LSU.
