It worked pretty well to have a former Arizona State Sun Devil in charge of Arizona softball’s offense the past two years. The Wildcats replaced the departing Amber Freeman with fellow former Sun Devil Danielle Gibson Whorton as assistant coach.
Gibson Whorton spent 2018 at ASU before transferring to Arkansas for her final four years, wrapping up her collegiate career in 2022. She was an NFCA Freshman of the Year finalist as a Sun Devil and a two-time NFCA All-American as a Razorback. She has been both a coach and a professional player since then.
“Danielle has distinguished herself at every level of the game,” Arizona head coach Caitlin Lowe said in the program’s press release. “She brings an exceptional understanding of offensive development, a relentless work ethic, and a genuine passion for mentoring student-athletes. Our hitters will benefit tremendously from her experience, energy, and competitive mindset.”
The former infielder spent last season as the hitting coach at California. The Golden Bears went 15-37 overall and 5-19 in the ACC under first year head coach Scott Singleton. She helped Aniya Toga earn All-ACC Third Team recognition with a .345 average and a .964 OPS. As a team, Cal hit .270 with an .802 OPS. The Bears hit 50 home runs.
She returned to her home state of California after two seasons coaching at Arkansas. She helped the team reach the postseason both years while coaching four NFCA All-Americans, 13 NFCA All-Region honorees, and the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
In her first year, the Razorbacks went 37-18 and hosted regionals, but they were eliminated on their home field with losses to Arizona and Villanova. Six players hit at least .300 and the team had an overall average of .278. They hit 56 home runs led by Bri Ellis with 14.
In 2025, they went 44-14 and had their season end in their home super regional at the hands of Ole Miss. Six players hit at least .300 with Ellis leading the way at .440. Ellis accounted for 26 of the team’s 74 home runs on the way to her national player of the year honor.
Gibson Whorton started her coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Georgia in 2023. She helped the Bulldogs produce four All-SEC honorees, four NFCA All-Region players, and two NFCA All-Americans. They finished 42-15 and advanced to super regionals.
In addition to coaching, Gibson Whorton has played with Athletes Unlimited. She was selected in the 2022 collegiate draft and finished third in the 2023 AU Championship Season. She took 2024 off, then returned to play in the inaugural AUSL season last year, appearing for the Bandits and the Blaze. She recently retired from professional softball.
