Head Coach

Bio

Coach Thomas enters his seventh season as Head Coach for the Lady Commodores Softball Program.

During the 2025 season, Coach Thomas led the Lady Commodores Softball Team to an overall record of 28-25. The team finished with a strong offensive performance, posting a .303 batting average, a .376 on-base percentage, 32 home runs, and a .449 slugging percentage.

Coach Thomas also continued to prepare players for the next level, with five Lady Commodores moving on to four-year universities. Outfielders Kali Austerman and AhKeela Honeycutt both signed with Alabama A&M, pitcher Kaylee Navarre is heading to Georgia Southwestern, pitcher Lindsey Paul is continuing her career at Abraham Baldwin, and pitcher Ainsley Stubbs is joining Morehead State University.

Several players stood out with conference and regional honors. Sophomore catcher Cailyn Cooke earned DI All-FCSAA First Team, All-Panhandle Conference, and was named to the 2025 NFCA NJCAA DI All-South Region Second Team. Joining her in conference recognition were Aniyah Stokes, who earned All-Panhandle Conference First Team along with Navarre, while Ally Henderson, Emily Chandler, and Stubbs were each named to the All-Panhandle Conference Second Team.

2023-24 season: Coach Thomas guided the Lady Commodores Softball Team to an impressive 40-15 overall record and a 13-7 mark in conference play. The team’s offense was outstanding, scoring 398 runs while hitting for a .348 batting average, a .422 on-base percentage, 33 home runs, and a .502 slugging percentage.

Several Lady Commodores stood out with strong individual performances. Rachael Lee and Lexi Shelby were named to the FCSAA All-State Second Team, while Lee also earned spots on the DI FCSAA All-Tournament Team and the All-Panhandle Conference First Team. In addition, eight players earned All-Panhandle Conference honors, including First Team selections Makayla Peters, Mackenzie Cain, and Shelby, while Second Team recognition went to Barrett Lawrence, Kali Austerman, Charlotte Phillips, Cailyn Cooke, and Marissa Barnes.

On the mound, Shelby was a force, finishing the year with 10 complete games, 14 wins, and one shutout. She pitched 131.0 innings with a 3.37 ERA, struck out 167 batters, and posted a 1.42 WHIP. At the plate, Lee capped off her sophomore season with impressive numbers. She scored 52 runs, collected 75 hits, 12 doubles, 42 RBIs, and 3 home runs. Lee hit .408 for the season and stole 12 bases.

Coach Thomas also helped several players take the next step in their careers, as five Lady Commodores moved on to four-year universities. Barnes signed with East Tennessee State University, Jordan continued her career at Bethel, Lee joined Valdosta State University, Peters signed with Southern Mississippi, and Phillips also committed to Valdosta State University.

2022-23 season:The Lady Commodores finished the 2022-23 season with an overall record of 29-21.  Standout players led the way, including sophomore Collier Peaden, who hit .408, stole 34 bases, drove in 17 runs, and scored 45 times. Peaden’s outstanding performance earned her a spot on the All-Panhandle Conference First Team and the DI All-FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Second Team.

Sophomore Cassidy Boltz also had an exceptional season, hitting .424 with 72 hits, 17 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs, and 45 RBIs. Boltz contributed multiple hits and RBIs in numerous games and was recognized on both the DI All-FCSAA/All-NJCAA Region 8 Second Team and the All-Panhandle Conference First Team. Other Lady Commodores earning conference honors included Morgan Roden and Allison Tryon, both named to the All-Panhandle Conference Second Team, and Makayla Peters and Barrett Lawrence, who received Honorable Mention, along with Jabby Terrell, who also earned Second-Team honors.

Several players advanced to continue their softball careers at four-year universities. Morgan Roden signed with Florida Southern College, Collier Peaden moved on to Florida International University, Cassidy Boltz will play at Troy University, and Jabby Terrell joined Florida A&M University.

2021-22 season, Thomas guided his team to a 39-8 (0.684 winning %) overall and 8-12 in conference play.  Two Lady Commodores earned All-Academic honors, eight All-Panhandle Conference, Pitcher, GraceAnne Spears earned Panhandle Conference Pitcher of the Year, Spears also earned FCSAA All-State First-Team.

The 2020-21 season had a record of 23-22 (0.511 winning %) 8-12 in Conference play.  The team excelled in the classroom with six players earning NJCAA All-Academic honors.  Sophomore outfielder Summer Johnson earned NFCA/NJCAA DI 1st Team All-Region and NFCA NJCAA DI Second Team All-American honors.               

During his first season as Head Coach, Thomas led his team to a record of 20-8 (0.714 winning %). Due to the COVID-19 virus, the 2019-2020 squad was unable to finish their season.

Coach Thomas spent 23 years as Head Coach for the Virginia Tech Softball Program. Since 1996, the first season Virginia Tech fielded a softball team, Thomas has had 17 winning or .500 seasons in 22 campaigns, has led the Hokies to eight NCAA appearances, and two ACC titles, and took Tech to the pinnacle of the sport in 2008, the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

The Hokies narrowly missed out on the NCAA Tournament in 2016 after going up against one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Tech finished the season ranked 44th in the RPI with a 29-28 overall mark and a 9-12 record in conference play.
Before 2016, the Hokies appeared in four consecutive NCAA Regionals from 2012-15 and compiled an overall record of 150-88. Tech’s last NCAA Tournament team in 2015 re-wrote the program’s offensive record book, breaking the school record with 65 home runs. That total included a school-record 17 home runs from Kelsey Mericka.
Tech reached its seventh NCAA Tournament in 2014 after finishing third in the ACC with a 19-9 record, its most league wins since joining the conference in 2005. All-ACC performers Lauren Gaskill, Kylie McGoldrick and Katie Smith were coupled with a pitching staff, led by first-year pitching coach Angela Tincher-O’Brien, who posted the second-most strikeouts in the ACC with 362.

Career Highlights while Coaching at VT:
2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year
2007, 2008, 2012 & 2013 NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year
1999 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year
1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008 & 2012 VaSID State Coach of the Year