Ryker (Zane) Chason, pitcher on the USA Jr. Men’s Team, circa 2014 at Whitehorse and 2016 at Midland, Michigan, will be in Los Angeles this weekend for the NCAA Los Angeles Regional Tournament. Chason is an assistant coach at Ole Miss, who will be taking on Loyola Maramount at 6:30pm CT/4:30pm PT on Friday night, May 20, 2022.
From the Clarion Ledger
The Ole Miss and Loyola Marymount softball teams are scheduled to meet in the 2022 NCAA Tournament Los Angeles Regional first round on Friday, May 20.
The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. CT/4:30 p.m. PT.
Ole Miss enters the matchup 39-17 overall. Most recently, Arkansas beat Ole Miss 3-0 in the SEC Tournament on May 12.
LMU comes into the contest 36-15 overall. On Saturday, LMU beat Santa Clara 4-2 to close the regular season.
NCAA Tournament: How to watch LMU vs. Ole Miss softball on TV, live stream
Game time: 6:30 p.m. CT/4:30 p.m. PT on Friday, May 20
Location: Easton Stadium in Los Angeles, California
Online live stream: ESPN.com/watch (ESPN+)
ESPN+ broadcasters are scheduled to be Trey Bender (play-by-play) and Kenzie Fowler (analyst).
The winner advances to play the winner of UCLA and Grand Canyon at 4 p.m. CT/2 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 21. The loser faces the loser of UCLA and Grand Canyon at 6:30 p.m. CT/4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 21.
Los Angeles Regional: 2022 NCAA Softball Los Angeles Regional bracket, schedule, game times, TV information
Chason
Chason is one of a number of men’s fastball players to coach in the ranks of NCAA Women’s softball. Others include Michael White (Texas, and previously Oregon), Travis Wilson (Florida State), Shawn Rychcik (North Carolina State), Blake Miller (Virginia) and Steve Miner (San Diego State) mentioned in our article “Men’s fastball greats in the women’s collegiate coaching ranks“. In addition to Chason, USA Softball has at least three other former players now coaching in NCAA women’s softball, Miller, as well as Kevin Castillo (Long Beach State) and Chase Turner (San Jose State).
Chason notched a total of 49 strikeouts in his two stints as pitcher for the USA Jr. National team, under the tutelage of head coach Tim Lyon, who is now leading the USA 23U team. Chason is now 25 years old, and part of the coaching staff led by Jaimie Trachsel, former head coach at North Dakota State, Iowa State and Minnesota. Trachsel has led Ole Miss since 2020.
Head Coach Trachsel had this to say about Chason, who was also hired at Ole Miss in 2020:
“I am very excited to introduce Ryker Chason into our Ole Miss softball family,” said Trachsel. “It takes having one conversation with him to realize he has the “it” factor as a person and as a coach. His passion and energy are contagious. He has been surrounded and influenced by some of the best and most respected coaches in the country and his playing background, versatile training, knowledge of the game, and connections make him a great fit for our staff and our vision for Ole Miss softball. Ryker’s confidence, relatability and ability to get the most out of those around him are some of his biggest strengths. He has something special and I look forward to not only what he will bring to our Ole Miss pitching staff, but to college softball.”
Chason joins the Rebel staff from SEC foe, LSU, where he spent the past four seasons as a student assistant on the Tiger staff, assisting head coach Beth Torina with pitching charts and pitch calls. During his three complete seasons with LSU, Chason worked with seven NFCA All-Americans, including four at the pitcher position.
The Ole Miss women’s team is coming off a record 38 regular season wins: