University of West Georgia

UWG Athletics
1601 Maple Street Carrollton, GA 30118

Division 2 Georgia Southeast

Public Medium Competitive team

I'm interested in this program!

Coaches

Email coach

Kristy Burton

On May 31, 2022, Kristy Burton was announced as the seventh head softball coach in the history of the University of West Georgia softball program.

Burton comes to Carrollton after spending nearly a decade coaching at every level of collegiate softball across the southeast, culminating in a run to the NAIA College World Series as the head coach at Webber International University in 2022.

In four seasons as the head coach at Webber International, Burton has compiled a record of 117-73, winning more than 61 percent of her games while coaching in the Sun Conference, one of the most competitive leagues in NAIA softball. Hired at WIU in 2018, the Warriors had experienced a season above .500 just once in the five years prior to her arrival.

Burton’s Warriors qualified for the Sun Conference tournament in three of her four years at the helm of the program, winning the regular-season title in 2021 and the conference tournament championship in 2022. WIU won the opening round bracket in the 2022 NAIA National Tournament, advancing to the NAIA Softball World Series.

In 2019, Webber qualified for the Sun Conference tournament with a 27-19 record and reached the conference tournament semifinals. She followed that year with an 18-6 record in a COVID-shortened 2020 season. She was named Sun Conference Coach of the Year in 2021 after a season where the Warriors won the conference regular-season title for the first time since 2012. She coached four First Team All-Sun Conference players in that season, including the Player and Pitcher of the Year.

The spring of 2022 ended up being the best yet for Burton and WIU, as the Warriors went 42-24, winning the Sun Conference championship for the third time in school history. That earned Webber a spot in the NAIA National Tournament for just the fifth time in school history. The Warriors won their first two games of the Opening Round Hattiesburg Bracket, advancing to the championship round against William Carey. Burton and the Warriors lost the first game 3-0, but then pounded William Carey in the finale, winning 5-1 to advance to the NAIA World Series.

In 2021 and 2022, Burton coached two Sun Conference Pitchers of the Year, a Player of the Year, eight First Team All-Conference performers, and was named Sun Conference Coach of the Year in 2021. Her players took care of business in the classroom as well, as in 2020 and 2021, the Warriors were recognized as NAIA Scholar Teams.

Coach Burton spent the previous two seasons as an assistant softball coach at NCAA Division-I Southeastern Louisiana University (SELU). In 2018, the Lady Lions went 38-19 overall and 18-9 in the Southland Conference en route to breaking 26 school records and finishing second in the conference in the regular season. In both of her years in Hammond, Louisiana, SELU led the nation in stolen bases.

Before making the jump as an NCAA D-I assistant coach, Burton served as the head coach at NCAA D-II Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. She has also coached at NJCAA Marion Military Institute, NJCAA Alabama Southern Community College, Mary G. Montgomery High School, and the Southern Spirit 14U travel ball team, all in Alabama.

In addition to her coaching experiences post-graduation in which she has attempted to expose herself to many different levels of softball to gain a better understanding of the game, Coach Burton regards her three years as a manager at nationally ranked NCAA D-I the University of South Alabama as one of the most important coaching opportunities in her career so far.

In her collegiate playing career, Burton played at NCAA Division II Limestone University as well as a short stop at the University of South Carolina at Lancaster.

Burton received an Associate of Arts Degree from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2011, then earned a Bachelor of Science degree from South Alabama University in 2014. In 2020, she finished another step in her educational career, earning a Master of Science in Coaching and Exercise Science from the University of Concordia at Irvine.

Email coach

Ivey Kane

Ivey Kane joined the UWG softball staff in the summer of 2022 as the Wolves’ assistant coach.

Kane came to Carrollton by way of Webber International where she was the Warrior’s assistant coach for two seasons under current UWG head coach Kristy Burton.

While Kane was at Webber, the Warriors reached as high as number 10 in the nation, and won the 2022 Regional Championship as well The Sun Conference Championship, finishing 2022 with a record of 42-24.

Prior to her stint at Webber International, Kane was also an assistant coach at Bethel University and Coastal Alabama. Those stops were sandwiched around a summer as a head coach in the American Softball Association Professional League.

As a player, Kane played collegiately at Alabama Southern Community College and Martin Methodist College. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Performance and Sport Management from Martin Methodist and earned a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and Human Performance from the University of West Florida.

Email coach

Kaitlin Cockcroft

Kaitlin Cockcroft joined the UWG softball staff prior to the 2024 season after two years as an assistant at Indiana Tech.

At Indiana Tech, Cockcroft assisted a program that won its first conference title in program history and an NAIA Regional Appearance. As the hitting coach, Cockcroft's offense had single-season school record for team batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and runs scored. All three outfielders earned All-Conference honors under Cockcroft's tutelage.

Prior to her coaching career, Cockcroft played a season of professional softball in Austria, and appeared in the European Premiere Cup in Italy. The Clermont, Florida native played four years at Webber International where she started and eventually became captain.

Cockcroft holds two degrees from Webber, graduating with a bachelor's degree in business management and a master's degree in sports business management.