Coaches

Thomas Macera

Valdosta State University Head Softball Coach Thomas Macera is currently in his 19th year at the helm of the Blazers in 2024, in what can only be termed a record of success. Macera’s efforts have placed him as the winningest active coach in NCAA Division II softball, as well as the most winning softball coach in VSU history. In 2024, he reached 1000th career win marking the fastest coach in NCAA softball history to acheieve this feat.


Coach Macera’s tradition of excellence includes leading the Blazers to an unprecedented six consecutive Gulf South Conference Championships from 2009-2014, with a seventh Conference title in 2018. In addition, the accolades include four NCAA Division II South Regional Championships and the program’s first ever National Championship Title in 2012.


Macera has led his staff in earning the NFCA’s South Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors three times and National Coaching Staff of the Year in 2012. He was named GSC Coach of the Year in 2007, 2012 and 2015. Under Macera’s leadership, the Blazers have consistently ranked among the top 25 teams in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings and have made three NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament final appearances during a five-year span from 2010-2014. In NCAA Tournament play Macera is 49-29, having led the Blazers to 14 consecutive NCAA South Regional Tournaments (2006-2019), hosting seven times.


Under Macera’s leadership, many athletes have garnered honors both on the field and in the classroom. To look at a few who have been recognized for athletics, it includes 18 All-America honorees, four who earned GSC Top Ten honors, two Commissioner’s Trophy honorees and two included in the GSC Hall of Fame. In 2013, standout player Courtney Albritton was recognized as the NFCA South Region Player of the Year and both she and Morgan Johnson were named NFCA All-Americans and Daktronics All-Region First Team. In 2024, Under the guidance of Macera, Abby Sulte broke the single season GSC record for home runs with 29 home runs to become NFCA South Region Player of the Year. Additionally, Macera has coached numerous students recognized for classroom performance. They include many All-America players, two of whom received Elite 89 awards, (one of the NCAA’s top academic honors). Current Blazer infielder Logan Hill was named Second Team Academic All-America as selected by CoSIDA in 2020, while also earning GSC Top Ten accolades.


In addition to his collegiate success, Macera helped guide the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro FastPitch League to a 2008 championship. Macera served as the hitting and infield coach for the Bandits, a team that boasted five national team players.


Macera holds both a bachelors (1996) and a masters (2003) from VSU. He began his coaching career at Thomas University in Thomasville, Ga. where he compiled a 206-67 (.755) record. His 2004 team registered a 53-4 season and ended the year with the NAIA Coach of the Year honors.


Coach Macera is married to the former Tana Marshall, who is also a VSU alumna, having earned two nursing degrees. Together they have a daughter, Taylor, who is a Valdosta State alumni and former player while also having a son Ty who attends Valdosta State.


Select Season Highlights:

In 2015 the Blazers reeled off one of the longest winning streaks in program history with 26-straight victories from February 15th through March 31st. The team spent the majority of the season as the nation’s top-ranked team and earned hosting rights for both the GSC Tournament and the NCAA South 1 Regional Tournament. VSU’s effort during the regular season fueled a 48-9 record on the year and earned Macera GSC Coach of the Year honors.


The 2014 season was a story of perseverance for the Blazers. After being swept by the rival Alabama-Huntsville Chargers in April, the team reeled off a 17-3 record with one of those three losses coming in a thrilling 3-2 loss to West Texas A&M in the Division II National Championship game, the squad’s third championship game appearance in five years. Two Blazers were named NFCA All-Americans at the conclusion of the 2014 season, while three earned All-Region honors and four student-athletes were recognized as All-GSC selections.


Because the 2013 Blazers were beginning the season with the loss of six seniors from 2012, there were mixed expectations on the likelihood of a strong defense of the National Title. Macerawas able to silence the naysayers and went about constructing a squad that won a fifth straight GSC Championship, a South Region Championship for the second straight year and a return bid to the Division II National Championship Tournament. Though eliminated in the National Championship Tournament, VSU made a strong showing, finishing the season leading the GSC in home runs with 71.


Of course, Macera’s best season to date came in 2012 when his squad overcame a loss in the first game of the National Championship Tournament and fought their way back through the bracket to earn a spot in the championship game. The Blazers defeated UC San Diego 4-1 to conclude a 58-5 season and earn the Blazers their first National Championship in VSU softball history. The season marked a .921 winning percentage, and stands in the GSC record book as the most successful in the history of GSC softball.


While the team went all the way in 2012, the Blazers actually broke more records under Macera’s tutelage in 2009. The team went 57-8 on the season and broke 16 school records on the way to a Gulf South Conference Championship before losing in the super regional to Alabama-Huntsville. The most notable broken records during the 2009 season were for runs (503), hits (638), runs batted in (452) and home runs (98).


As of 2024, Macera has a career record of 1008-329-2 while hoisting an 802-262-2 record at Valdosta State. In back-to-back seasons in 2023-2024, Macera and the Blazers set the single season record for home runs blasting 109 homers in 2023 before upgrading to 119 in 2024.