Gulf Coast State College Women's Softball

Coach Thomas enters his 7th season as Head Coach for the Lady Commodores Softball Program. The Commodores have made the Region 8 tournament the past two seasons and in 2025 won the prestigious NFCA JUCO Kick Off Classic in Columbus GA.         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 Womens 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. Techs last NCAA Tournament team in 2015 re-wrote the programs 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-OBrien, who posted the second-most strikeouts in the ACC with 362. Currently Coach Thomas has a 973-677 win/loss record over his career and hoping to bust the 1,000 win mark this year.  Career Coaching Highlights: 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