DAHLONEGA, Ga. — Two-time national championship softball coach Mike Davenport is headed to the University of Georgia.
The 10-time Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year confirmed that he had accepted an assistant coaching position with the Georgia softball program Monday afternoon.
“I am very excited and honored to join the UGA Softball program and ready to work alongside Tony, JT, and Chelsea,” Davenport said in the UGA press release. “I can’t thank Tony, Josh Brooks, and Stephanie Ransom enough for believing in me and welcoming me and my family to be a part of the Bulldog Family. This was a family decision for me, and through our Faith, we knew this was an opportunity we all wanted to be a part of.
“I would not be in this position without the support of the University of North Georgia Softball program and every young lady who believed in me for the past 24 seasons. I am indebted to every UNG softball student-athlete and their families who entrusted their daughters to be a part of something special. We gave UNG our very best for 28 years (4 women's basketball / 24-softball), and that was easy to do because of the student-athletes we had the honor of coaching and the good people in the Lumpkin County/Dahlonega community who made calling the mountains of north Georgia home.”
In 24 seasons as head softball coach in Dahlonega, Davenport developed the UNG softball program into a national powerhouse and a perennial College World Series contender. During his tenure, the Nighthawks captured two NCAA Championships (2015 & 2023), 17 Peach Belt regular-season titles, 15 conference tournament titles, and nine NCAA Southeast regional championships. He also led the Nighthawks to three straight Division II championship appearances, twice from 2009-11 and again in 2021-23. In 2023, Davenport led the program to its second 60-win season and a program-best in wins with a 64-7 record.
Davenport finishes his career at UNG with a 1,096-280 overall record (.796) and eight 50-win seasons. He is a member of the Georgia Dugout Club Softball Hall of Fame (January 2020). He has coached numerous All-Americans, including two National Players of the Year in Courtney Poole (2015) and Kylee Smith (2018).
“We are excited and grateful to be able to add Mike Davenport to our program,” Georgia coach Tony Baldwin said. “The coaching resume speaks for itself. We are excited to add someone with his recruiting experience, player development skills, and overall leadership ability. More so, we are excited to add someone with the highest of character to our staff. Welcome to Athens, Mike, Melanie, Isabel, and Harper!!”
