Jeff Gillespie was named the Millsaps head softball coach on Monday, July 22.
With a stellar career in coaching, Gillespie brings a wealth of experience in every facet of the game. Having coached and recruited at the highest levels, Coach Jeff understands the process to develop a Championship program on and off the field.
Gillespie most recently served as an assistant coach for the Samford University softball team during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. His leadership propelled Samford's pitching staff to achieve multiple awards, including a Conference Pitcher of the Year and a SoCon Freshman of the Year. Under his guidance, the staff posted a conference-best ERA and won an impressive 84 games during his tenure.
Before his time at Samford, Gillespie contributed to Birmingham Southern's success as assistant coach. The team was coached to their first NCAA Regional title and appearance in the 2021 Division III Women's College World Series semifinals. The Panthers also won consecutive SAA Tournament and regular-season titles, finishing the season ranked fourth nationally and 33-8 overall.
The 2019 season saw the Birmingham-Southern softball squad finish 35-7 and 13-2 in SAA action, claiming the SAA regular season championship, SAA Tournament title and an NCAA Regional appearance.
In addition to his experience at the college level, Coach Gillespie was instrumental in founding and leading one of the country's top travel organizations, the Birmingham Vipers. The Birmingham Vipers have a national presence and a reputation for being competitive in each age group, competing in and winning some of the top tournaments in the country. Gillespie's teams have achieved an impressive record of 536 wins and 116 losses throughout his coaching career, with multiple top placements in national tournaments and numerous regional and state championships.
As a student-athlete, Gillespie played baseball and basketball at George Wallace Community College Selma and baseball at then Belhaven College.
Coach Jeff has two adult children Brandon Gillespie and Whitney Gillespie Therrell. Brandon graduated from Auburn University and Whitney was a member of the Jacksonville State University softball team. She was a three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection, OVC Pitcher of the Year and a two-time OVC Tournament MVP.