Georgia Southwestern State Univ

GSW Athletics
800 Georgia Southwestern State Univ Dr AMERICUS, GA 31709

Division 2 Georgia Southeast

Public Small National competitor

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Coaches

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Nicki Levering

Nicki Levering enters her third season as the head softball coach at Georgia Southwestern in 2019-20. Levering comes to GSW from South Georgia State College where she served as head coach for four seasons.

Under Levering's leadership, South Georgia State posted 30-plus wins for the second consecutive season in 2016, finishing 31-20. In 2015, the Hawks captured the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) regular season championship with a record of 12-2 in league play and 32-9 overall, earning Levering GCAA Coach of the Year honors.

All told, Levering produced 14 GCAA All-Region players and two All-American nominees during her time at South Georgia State.

Prior to South Georgia State, Levering was the assistant coach at Galveston College in Galveston, Texas, where the team was 2013 NJCAA Region 14 regular season champions and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the country.

Levering, a native of Nashville, Tenn., had a successful career as a collegiate athlete as well. She played catcher and third base at both Seminole Community College (Sanford, Fla.) and Trevecca Nazarene University (Nashville, Tenn.). She was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association Academic All-American in 2005 at SCC and a 2008 team captain at Trevecca Nazarene, where she earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science. Levering was on a Trevecca Nazarene squad that won NAIA Regional IX and Tran South Conference championships in 2007 and 2008.

After her playing career ended, she served as a graduate assistant for two years at the University of North Alabama earning a master's degree in health and human performance. Currently, Levering is in pursuit of her doctorate in adult and career education at Valdosta State University.

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Madison Ragan

Ragan, a native of Coleman, Ga., will enter her first season as the assistant softball coach. Ragan spent last season as the assistant softball coach for Andrew College in Cuthbert, Ga., where she helped coach the leader in home runs in the GCAA and who was also a First Team All-Conference selection. Ragan was drafted to play professional softball in the first American Softball Association (ASBA) draft in 2018 by Team Outkast who won the regular season championship. While playing in the ASBA, Ragan was the 2018 leader in games finished in the circle with a 1.043 slugging percentage and 5 home runs at the plate.

Ragan attended Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla., where she was selected to the All-ASUN First Team in 2017 while also leading the team in doubles and batting average (.346) her senior year. Prior to JU, Ragan attended Chipola College in Marianna, Fla., where she won a NJCCA Div. I National Softball Championship as a freshman and finished runner-up her sophomore year. While at Chipola, she was a two-time First Team All Panhandle selection and was also named First Team All-State as an At-Large player. She is 2nd in Chipola history in home runs and recorded the nation’s lowest ERA her freshman year.

She owns a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and a minor in Marketing and Criminal Justice from Jacksonville University.

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Karlie Gillam

Gillam enters her third season as volunteer assistant coach at Georgia Southwestern while also serving as the Director of Softball for Synergy Sports Academy in Albany, Georgia. Gillam finished the 2017 season in her first year as Assistant Coach under Head Coach Nicki Levering at South Georgia State College. Prior to South Georgia State College, Gillam served under head coach, Mike Davenport at the University of North Georgia.

As a student assistant in 2014, Gillam helped lead UNG to Regular Season Conference Champions and Conference Champions with a Super Regional appearance (47-11).

As a graduate assistant at UNG in 2015, Gillam helped lead UNG to its first-ever national championship - in any sport - running through the losers' bracket at the NCAA DII Championship in Oklahoma City to eventually take down Dixie State, 5-0, to take the crown. Davenport's staff was recognized as the NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year for their incredible run that year (54-8).

Finishing up her coaching career at UNG in 2016, Gillam helped lead the Nighthawks to Regular Season Conference Champions and Conference Champions. They won their Regional and became runners up in the Super Regional (54-8),

Gillam was a two-year letter winner at the University of North Georgia softball program in Dahlonega Georgia. She was a member of the Saints softball team that made NCAA appearances in 2012 and 2013. Karlie also made First Team All-Conference for the Peachbelt Conference in 2012 and 2013 after hitting .329 with seven homeruns in 2012. Prior to her time at UNG, Gillam played one year at Kennesaw State University and Bevill State Community College. Gillam was a third baseman during her playing career.

Gillam played high school softball at Collins Hill in Lawrenceville, Georgia. While at CHHS, she was twice named All-Region and All-County. Gillam earned the school's Bobbie Bailey Athletic Award in 2006 and Coca-Cola Academic & Athletic Performance Award winner in 2005.

The Lawrenceville native graduated from the University of North Georgia with a bachelor's in Physical Education with Leadership (2014), and a master’s in Physical Education (2016).