Head Coach Michelle Gascoigne announced the addition of Tony Smith as an assistant coach to her inagural coaching staff heading into the 2027 season. The additions come as Colorado State prepares for the program's inaugural season as a new member of the Pac-12 conference. Smith will also act as recruiting coordinator.

"I am thrilled to announce Tony Smith as our hitting coach and recruiting coordinator," Gascoigne said. "Tony brings experience in working in all areas of the game and has a great way of connecting with athletes while preparing them to compete with confidence. It is also a dream come true to continue to work with my husband as our family makes this move to the wonderful community of Fort Collins."

"I'm grateful for my time at Northwestern and the people who helped me grow as a coach and person. As I begin this next chapter at Colorado State, I'm excited to join a program with incredible potential and a community that is deeply invested in its student-athletes," Smith said. "I look forward to building meaningful relationships and helping create a championship-caliber experience for everyone connected to Ram Softball."

Tony Smith joins Colorado State from the Northwestern staff where he working alongside Gascoigne as a volunteer assistant before being promoted to assistant coach in the fall of 2023, following the staff's recognition as the 2023 ATEC/NFCA Division I Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

Since Smith’s arrival in 2023, Northwestern has earned berths to three straight NCAA tournaments and captured two Big Ten regular season titles, as well as a Big Ten tournament title.

Most recently in 2025, the Wildcats finished with a 29-17-1 record and a 16-6 record in conference play, leading to a seventh-straight NCAA tournament berth. Northwestern earned four wins over RPI Top 25 teams, defeating No. 11 Duke, No. 22 Mississippi State, and No. 6 UCLA twice, in the final series of the regular season.

In 2024, with a lineup that replaced six of its nine defensive starters from the previous year, the Wildcats finished with a 35-13 record and a 19-3 record in conference play en route to a third-straight Big Ten regular season title and sixth-consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament.

In 2023, the Wildcats posted a 42-13 record and captured both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, before reaching the NCAA Super Regional round for the seventh time since 2005.

Smith enjoyed a long career in baseball before joining the Northwestern softball staff. He pitched four seasons in Independent League Baseball before spending four years as Director of Pitching, Arm Care, and Overhand Throwing at Athletes HQ. Smith spent two years as a Player Development coach for the Erie Seawolves, Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, assisting in the development of current Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson, No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and center fielder Riley Greene, fifth overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft. He also served as the pitching coach for the Schaumburg Boomers (2017-2019), helping them to a 2017 Frontier League Championship with the lowest team ERA in the league.

More on Smith:

Smith enters Colorado State with more than a decade of coaching and player development experience across collegiate and professional baseball and softball programs.

Served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the softball program at Northwestern since 2023, where he assisted with offensive development, lineup management, scouting, on-campus recruiting and game strategy.

Helped guide Northwestern to consecutive Big Ten championships in 2023 and 2024.

Previously worked as a player development coach in the Detroit Tigers organization.

Former professional baseball player with experience in independent professional leagues across the United States and Canada.

Holds numerous certifications in pitching development, biomechanics, force plate analysis and athlete performance technology.

Brings a proven track record of developing student-athletes and fostering a championship culture.

Name	Title
Michelle Gascoigne	Head Coach
Tony Smith	Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Taylor Gilmore	Assistant Coach
Jake Long	Assistant Coach

Name	Title
Nika Walker	Athletic Trainer Softball
Jay Tolpa	Academic Coordinator
Hannah Emerson	Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach

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