The University of North Georgia (UNG) announced Monday its long-time head softball coach, Mike Davenport, resigned to become an assistant coach on the University of Georgia softball staff.
The 27-year veteran coach won over 1,000 games at North Georgia and in the last decade led the program to a pair of NCAA Division II national championships and 10 consecutive Peach Belt Conference (PBC) regular-season championships.
“Coach Davenport has given over two and a half decades of distinguished service to the University of North Georgia and helped build the nation’s premier NCAA Division II softball program,” Director of Athletics Mary Rob Plunkett said. “His impact on our athletes and the legacy he leaves behind will not be forgotten.”
From 2014 to 2023, he coached numerous All-Americans, including two National Players of the Year in Courtney Poole (2015) and Kylee Smith (2018). The Nighthawks have won every PBC regular-season and tournament championship during that time, breaking the records for consecutive titles in both categories.
A nine-time PBC Coach of the Year, Davenport won 15 conference regular-season titles, 14 conference tournaments, eight NCAA Southeast Region championships and two NCAA DII national championships. He took North Georgia to three consecutive Division II Championship appearances twice from 2009-11 and again in 2021-23.
Davenport was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Softball Hall of Fame in 2020.
A national search for the next softball head coach will launch immediately. The Nighthawks open their fall schedule Oct. 4 with a road trip to face Georgia Tech.