Search

University of Virginia - Wise

UVA Wise Athletics
 1 College Avenue Wise, VA 24293
Division 2 Virginia Northeast
Public Small Competitive team
I'm interested in this program!

Coaches

Email coach

Nick Bitter

Nick Bitter enters his seventh season as Co-Head Softball Coach at UVA Wise for the 2021 campaign. Working primarily with the team’s hitters, the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season was a banner year for Cavaliers at the plate. UVA Wise belted 26 homers in just 24 games while adding 33 doubles. Kaylee Jones finished the season hitting .446 with a 1.046 slugging percentage as she earned VaSID Softball Player of the Year.


Bitter collected his first career head coaching victory on April 12, 2015, when UVA Wise picked up a home sweep of Glenville State. During the 2018 season, Bitter earned his 100th victory as co-head coach in a game one sweep of Glenville State at Cavalier Field.


The co-head coach played an integral part in UVA Wise’s success during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Guiding the Cavs back to the MEC tournament for the first time since 2014, Bitter led UVA Wise to a No. 4 MEC South seed in 2016. The Cavs went on a tournament run and advanced to the consolation bracket finals, finishing third in the league championship while eliminating both Wheeling Jesuit University and Concord University.


With the help of Co-Head Coach Bitter, the Cavaliers mounted on their 2016 campaign success to go on a historical run during the 2017 season. Reaching the 30-win mark for the third time in the past six years, UVA Wise concluded that season with an impressive 36-19 overall record. The team reached the Mountain East Conference Tournament title game after defeating then-seventh ranked West Virginia Wesleyan in the first game of the championship round. They would extend their season as the team became the first UVA Wise athletics program to earn an at-large bid into an NCAA postseason event and claimed the school’s first ever NCAA postseason win.


Prior to becoming co-head coach, Bitter served as an assistant for three and a half seasons, including being a member of the coaching staff that led UVA Wise to the inaugural Mountain East Conference Tournament Title in 2014. That season, the Cavs went 37-14 for the second-most victories in a single season in program history. As an assistant coach in 2014, Co-Head Coach Bitter helped six different Cavs earn MEC All-Conference honors, including Taylor Brandts, who was named MEC Pitcher of the Year.


As a pitcher at Delaware State, Bitter was named Outstanding Athlete of the Year in 2006 while also being a First-Team Black College Baseball selection for his work out of the bullpen.


Before coming to UVA Wise, Bitter served as associate head baseball coach at Washington College. In his role, he created and developed strength and conditioning regimens for both in-season and off-season workouts, while serving as the team's pitching coach.


Co-head Coach Bitter resides in Big Stone Gap with fellow co-head coach and wife, Karen, and their daughter, Riley and son, Kent.

show more
Email coach

Karen Bitter

Now in her 10th season at the helm of the UVA Wise softball program, Karen Bitter has tallied 226 victories to date, including back-to-back 30-win campaigns in 2013 and 2014. During the 2014 season, UVA Wise won 37 games for the second-most in a single season in program history and claimed the inaugural Mountain East Conference Tournament title. That followed a 2013 season in which Bitter led the Cavaliers to a 31-21 record.


Last season, Bitter’s team saw its season cut short due to COVID-19. In the shortened year, the Cavaliers posted a 5-1 mark away from home and saw Kaylee Jones earn VaSID Softball Player of the Year after hitting .446 and slugging 1.046 with nine homers, 10 doubles and 23 RBI in 24 games.


In 2019, Bitter guided her team to a 22-27 overall mark and a 16-16 conference record in the team's final season in the Mountain East Conference as the team made it to the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive season. UVA Wise also gained two wins over nationally-ranked programs in Lenoir-Rhyne University and Shepherd University during the regular season. As well, Bitter notched her 200th career win before claiming her 203rd career victory to break the program's all-time win record.


During the 2018 campaign, the UVA Wise softball team posted a 29-23 overall record and was 16-16 in conference play as the team advanced to the second round of the MEC tournament gaining a pair of shutout wins over Notre Dame College and Shepherd University.


The 2017 campaign was a monumental one for the UVA Wise softball team as Co-Head Coach Bitter guided the program to a No. 4 seed and host of the 2017 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, marking the first time the program has hosted a NCAA postseason event. UVA Wise later closed out their campaign in the 2017 NCAA Division II Softball Championship Atlantic 1 Regional after earning the first at-large bid into a NCAA postseason event in school history.


In that same season, Bitter oversaw a spectacular junior year in standout pitcher Taylor Brandts. A four-year letter winner, Brandts is one of the most decorated players in UVA Wise softball history, becoming the winningest pitcher in program history after she notched her 61st career victory with the Cavaliers win over Chowan University in the Atlantic Regional. Brandts became just the second Cavalier to earn All-American status after receiving All-American honorable mention accolades from both the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA) and Fastpitch News.


During the 2016 season, Co-Head Coach Bitter guided the Cavs back to the MEC tournament for the first time since 2014 as the team earned a No. 4 MEC South seed. The Cavs went on a tournament run and advanced to the consolation bracket finals, finishing third in the league championship while eliminating both Wheeling Jesuit University and Concord University.


Co-Head Coach Bitter came to UVA Wise following a successful stint at fellow NCAA Division II institution Chowan University where she served as pitching coach for three seasons. A Virginia native, Bitter was a member of one of the most successful coaching staffs at the Division II level. The Chowan softball team piled up 30-win seasons in her final two years as the pitching coach and captured consecutive CIAA divisional championships.


Bitter is no stranger to success, whether it is in the dugout or in the circle. The former pitcher began her career at Tabb High School in Yorktown, Virginia, where she caught the eye of coaches at Shepherd University. After enrolling, Bitter became the most accomplished pitcher in the history of the program and is still the holder of several single-season and career school records. After completing her playing career, she joined the coaching staff at Washington College in Maryland, serving as a graduate assistant. After her stop at Washington College, Bitter joined the Chowan staff before the 2009 season as pitching coach where she remained until accepting the UVA Wise job.


The coach and her husband, Nick (fellow co-head coach), reside in Big Stone Gap along with their two children.

show more

College Bound Athletes

Showcase Tips

Are you ready for your next college showcase?
It has been extremely helpful in allowing me to locate schools in a certain geography or division. Having information about the coaches and lacrosse program gave me added background without hours of research!
- Jessie BrennanWhat are others saying?