Just days after their hiring, Auburn softball’s co-head coaches Chris and Kate Malveaux are expected to make their first staff addition and bring aboard former Ole Miss and LSU assistant Ryker Chason to coach Auburn’s pitching staff, D1 Softball’s Justin McLeod reported Saturday.

While Chason spent the 2024 season away from college softball, he recently spent three seasons at Ole Miss, where he led the Rebels’ pitching staff from 2021-23. In 2023, Chason helped Ole Miss’ staff of pitchers finish the season with a 2.91 ERA.

Prior to his time in Oxford, Mississippi, Chason spent four seasons as a student coach at LSU, where he assisted head coach Beth Torina with pitch calls and pitching charts. During this stint at LSU, Chason had a hand in developing four NFCA all-American pitchers.

During his season away from the college game this past year, Chason served as the Director for Pitching Growth at OGX Softball, a data-driven development organization in Illinois.

When Chason arrives to The Plains, he’ll do so with playing experience as he’s twice competed for Team USA at the WBSC Junior Men’s World Championship in 2014 and 2016.

With Chris Malveaux known for developing hitters and Kate Malveaux known for developing catchers and baserunners, the addition of a pitching coach was critical for Auburn, which is set to return just 10% of its pitching production next season.