GAINESVILLE -- Seven years ago, Devon Thomas spent hours scouring the Brenau University campus in search of anyone willing and able to play on the school's inaugural softball team.
"I was literally in the cafeteria looking for people who could play," said Thomas, whose first Golden Tigers team went 2-37. "I had 10 players that year."
Today, Brenau softball sports a 28-2 record, is the fifth-ranked team in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and has legitimate hopes of winning an NAIA title. And standout players and teams from around the nation are now contacting Thomas in search of collegiate stardom.
"People really have heard about us all over now," Thomas said. "I'm even getting emails from some travel teams on the west coast. ... We've slowly progressed, and we went 37-17 in year three of the program. From then on we've had 30-plus-win seasons every year."
Thomas's and the Golden Tigers' work is far from complete, however, and Brenau softball feels it still has several big goals to accomplish -- including a second conference title and a first national title, both prizes that seem within reach in 2011.
"We showed earlier this season (by winning the Gulf Coast Invitational) that we can win at the highest level," Brenau pitcher Anna Maness said. "After playing in those games we have nothing to worry about against the best teams."
Indeed, Brenau has showed it is one of those best teams over the recent past and certainly this season, rolling through most opposition -- including in the Gulf Coast Invitational in Alabama, where the Golden Tigers defeated William Carey University, currently ranked No. 2, 1-0 in the championship game.
"William Carey has one loss on its record, and that's to us," Thomas said. "Now, that doesn't mean we've arrived, because we've still got a lot of work to do. We've got to keep the blinders on and keep our eyes on the prize, and that's not easy."
If the Golden Tigers can maintain their focus, they certainly have the ability to clinch their first Southern States Athletic Conference crown since 2009 -- which was also the program's one and only appearance in the national NAIA tournament.
Led by standouts like Maness (15-1, 0.68 ERA, 13 shutouts), first baseman/pitcher/outfielder Ellen Black (12 home runs, 47 RBIs), third baseman/pitcher Tiffany Schandera (.490 average, 5 home runs, 37 RBIs, 13 doubles, 47 hits) and catcher Morgan Smith (.493 average, 7 home runs, 36 RBIs), Brenau can beat opponents with defense and offense.
The Golden Tigers currently lead the NAIA in hitting with a team average of .435 and are tied for first in fielding percentage at .981. The team ERA is also fifth best in the nation at 1.21. Brenau also sits alone in first place in the SSAC East Division and sports the only undefeated record in league play (in either division) at 12-0.
"We're just a very fundamentally sound team," Thomas said. "We make a living off capitalizing on other people's mistakes."
That has been aided by perhaps the deepest team to put on a Brenau uniform.
"I never worry about who's at bat for us," said Black, the reigning SSAC Player of the Week. "And we've got more depth on the mound than we've had since I've been here."
As one of six juniors, Black is one of the veterans on a squad that features no seniors and plenty of sophomores aiding the heavy lifting. Black was also part of the team that won the '09 SSAC crown.
"I would take this team over that team," Black said. "We're deeper, and I think we've gotten used to playing in big games."
The Golden Tigers also pride themselves on giving 100 percent at all times -- a key for a group aiming for success at the highest levels.
"Everyone tries as hard as they can all the time," Schandera, a sophomore from Columbus, said.
"We're not just satisfied with being OK," Maness said. "We know we've got to be better than that to accomplish what we want."
That's a certainty when playing in a conference that features four teams inside the NAIA's top 10 (No. 2 William Carey, No. 5 Brenau, No. 8 Belhaven and No. 10 the University of Mobile).
"This league gets tough; you can't overlook anybody or they'll beat you," Thomas said. "I told the girls this is a marathon, not a sprint, and there are a lot of upsets when you play 50 games in three months."
The Golden Tigers are united in their goals, however, and are working toward one of the SSAC's two automatic bids to the national championship tournament -- which will be held in Gulf Shores, Ala.
"At the beginning of the season we got together to discuss our goals, and every one of them said they wanted to win the conference and national title," Thomas said. "We've got a good, disciplined group, and they're working hard."
Thanks to that work on the field, Thomas isn't having to work as hard at unearthing softball talent -- though the North Hall High grad (1990) is still working hard at finding the best talent and fits for his program.
"I was motivated by a lot of people telling me that I wouldn't be able to win consistently at an all-girls school," said Thomas, who also led the softball programs at North Hall and Chestatee before heading to Brenau. "It hasn't been easy, but we're having a lot of fun, and I think we've shown people we can definitely win."
Now the only question seems to be how big.
The Golden Tigers will travel to face Shorter University on Friday in Rome and are on the road again Saturday when they head to Cleveland, Tenn., to take on Lee University. Brenau plays its home games at Lanier Pointe Park in Gainesville.
Tuesday
June 17th, 2025
9:43PM
