Anyone trying to understand the reason behind Virginia Tech’s unprecedented success on the softball diamond doesn’t have to look any further than head coach Scot Thomas. Since taking the job on July 5, 1995, Thomas has personally handled every element of building the program from buying the first pieces of equipment, to hiring the assistants and recruiting the players. The results are nothing short of phenomenal.
Since 1996, the first season Virginia Tech fielded a softball team, Thomas has had 13 winning or .500 seasons in 17 campaigns, has led the Hokies to five NCAA appearances, two ACC titles, and in 2008, took Tech to the biggest show in college softball.
Thomas grew up in Blacksburg where he dreamed of one day becoming a coach at Tech. Having faithfully watched Hokie athletics his entire life, along with having parents who worked at Virginia Tech, he understood the dedication to excellence and the commitment to quality the University demanded, and he was a perfect match for the program’s philosophy.
Former collegiate baseball standout and Presbyterian College softball assistant Justin Miller is in his second season as assistant softball coach at Virginia Tech after spending three seasons at PC.
As an assistant in 2012, Miller helped the program to an historic win at the Big South Conference tournament, the first in program history. His expertise as produce the team’s highest on-base percentage and most RBIs in a season since 2008, as several players earned all-conference honors.
Miller joined the Blue Hose after serving as assistant coach at Akron University. There he worked with the baseball program and coached outfielders, catchers and assisted with hitters.
Former USA Softball Player of the Year and three-time ACC Player of the Year Angela Tincher O’Brien is in her third year back in Blacksburg as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at her alma mater.
A 2008 graduate of Virginia Tech, Tincher led the Hokies to their first College World Series appearance in 2008 and was a recipient of the Lowe’s Senior Class award. She was twice named a first-team All-American and won college softball’s top honor as national player of the year in 2008. During her senior season, she recorded a no-hitter against the USA Olympic Softball team, which ended Team USA’s 185-game pre-Olympic win streak. She was also a three-time Academic All-American and winner of a NCAA Top VIII post-graduate scholarship after graduating with a 3.84 GPA in finance from the prestigious Pamplin School of Business.
She was a 2008 finalist for the ESPY award honoring the College Female Athlete of the Year and one of five finalists for the Honda-Broderick Cup, which is awarded to the NCAA’s top female athlete. She won a gold medal at the 2006 World University Games in Taiwan.
Former Hokie standout player and volunteer assistant coach Whitney Davis is in her second season on the staff as the Director of Softball Operations.
In her current role, Davis is responsible for all logistical and administrative duties for the program. She serves as the liaison between the program and multiple facets within the Athletics Department, as well as assists the staff in camp coordination, recruiting visits, team travel, equipment, alumnae relations and social media.
Davis has plenty of ties to the softball program as both a former player and coach. In two seasons as the volunteer assistant coach, she helped pave the way for successful 2012 and 2013 campaigns, ones that saw the Hokies reach the NCAA Regional finals both times. Both years she was on the staff, the coaching staff earned NFCA Northeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
