Softball
Baldwin, Tony
Tony Baldwin
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 706-713-2832
Tony Baldwin was announced the head coach of Georgia softball on June 21, 2021. He is the third head coach in the history of the program. Baldwin served on staff in Athens for nine total seasons prior to being promoted to head coach.
The 2024 season saw the Bulldogs reach the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and the second time in three seasons under Baldwin. Georgia's season saw the Dogs reach No. 3 in the country, the highest ranking since the 2011 season. The Dawgs concluded the season 43-19 and an even .500 in SEC play at 12-12. A trio of Dogs earned All-SEC honors with Sydney Kuma becoming the program's first-ever Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. The offense finished eighth nationally in home runs per game and 14 in slugging.
Baldwin guided Georgia to its first appearance in the NCAA Super Regional with him at the helm in 2023. Georgia drew the 14-seed in the NCAA Tournament, powering its way through the Athens Regional en route to a Super Regional matchup at No. 3 Florida State. The Bulldogs concluded the season 42-15 with a 16-7 SEC record, good enough for a second-place finish in the league. The Dogs' 16 SEC wins were the most since 2018. Under Baldwin's guidance, Jayda Kearney (first team) and Sydney Kuma (third team) were named NFCA All-Americans. In total, six Bulldogs garnered All-SEC status in 2023, the most since seven were honored in 2016.
Once again, Georgia's offense shined in 2023 as UGA finished tops in the SEC in batting average (.318), home runs per game (1.61), slugging (.578), and doubles per game (1.4). The Dogs' slugging percentage finished second in the country only to Oklahoma while Georgia finished sixth in home runs per game.
In the offseason, Baldwin once again answered the call to serve on staff for the USA Softball Women's National Team. In July, the WNT traveled to Fingal-Dublin, Ireland for the Women's Softball World Cup qualifying round. The Eagles went undefeated en route to punching their ticket to the World Cup Finals held in Italy July 15-21, 2024. It was then on to Santiago, Chile for the 2023 Pan American Games in October-November. Once again, the USA was dominant, going 7-0 to capture the gold medal. The gold medal victory marked the 10th Pan American Games gold medal for the U.S. WNT while extending its overall record to 106-5.
In his first season at the helm of the program, Baldwin guided Georgia to a 43-18 record in 2022 and an even 12-12 SEC record. The 2022 season was the 18th 40-win season in the history of the program. The Bulldogs made their 20th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, drawing the Durham Regional. Georgia ultimately fell to #12 Duke in game seven of the Regional after overcoming a game one loss and winning three-straight to force the winner-take-all contest. The season featured a 16-game win streak from Feb. 19 to March 12, tied for sixth-longest in program history. The Bulldogs concluded the season No. 22 in the NFCA Coaches poll, the 20th time the Bulldogs finished the season in the top 25.
Baldwin mentored junior Sara Mosley and senior Lacey Fincher to NFCA All-America honors in 2022. It was the first time Georgia had multiple All-Americans in the same season since 2018 (Cortni Emanuel, Brittany Gray, Alyssa DiCarlo). Mosley and Fincher joined Kearny, Kuma, and Sydney Chambley in earning NFCA Southeast All-Region honors. Georgia also put four on the All-SEC teams in 2022.
Georgia's explosive offense reached new heights in 2022 as the Bulldogs broke the program record for single-season home runs, blasting 107 on the season. That number finished third in SEC single-season history. Six Bulldogs topped double-digit home runs led by Fincher's 19. As a team, Georgia ranked top 10 nationally in scoring (6.72 runs/game), home runs per game (1.75), slugging (.594), and on base percentage (.408). The Dogs' .323 team batting average finished 11th best in the country. Fincher and Mosley each finished in the top 50 in the country in home runs.
Following the 2022 season in Athens, Baldwin joined the US Women's National Team as an assistant coach. Team USA won Gold at the World Games in Birmingham, going 5-0 and defeating Japan 3-2 in the Gold Medal game. Team USA outscored its opponents 31-4 en route to the title. It was Baldwin's second stint with Team USA as he served as an assistant coach for the U-19 Team in 2019.
After serving as a Georgia volunteer assistant from 2011-12, Tony Baldwin rejoined the Bulldog coaching staff as an assistant coach in June 2014 before being promoted to associate head coach shortly after the 2016 season.
Georgia’s offense has found successful production since Baldwin’s arrival.
The 2021 season saw the Bulldogs go on a remarkable run through the NCAA Tournament en route to Georgia's fifth program appearance in the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Georgia began the season winning 21 of its first 23 games including a series victory over Missouri to open Southeastern Conference play. A tough SEC schedule resulted in a 7-17 record in league play. Georgia's schedule as a whole finished as the fifth strongest in the country in 2021. The regular season was highlighted by a midweek win over top-ranked and then-undefeated Oklahoma in Athens. Despite ending the regular season on a seven-game losing streak, the Bulldogs came out in the NCAA Tournament ready to roll. Georgia defeated Western Kentucky and No. 13 seed Duke in the Athens Regional to win a date with fourth-seeded Florida in Gainesville. Georgia went on to shut out the Gators in back-to-back games in the Super Regional to punch its ticket to OKC. The Bulldogs concluded the tournament scoring 34 runs while slugging 11 home runs in seven games.
A trio of underclassmen including sophomore Kuma (All-Newcomer Team) and freshmen outfielders Chambley and Kearney (All-Freshman Team) was honored by the SEC for their efforts in 2021. Fincher and redshirt-sophomore Jaiden Fields each earned nods from the NCFA as All-Region Team performers. As a team, Georgia concluded the season ranked 13th nationally with 1.46 home runs per game, knocking 83 total home runs.
In the abbreviated 2020 season, the Bulldogs hit .335, the third-best in the SEC, through 28 games. Freshman Kuma hit .438 on the season, one of the best in the league. Fellow rookie Mosley knocked in 31 runs with nine doubles in 2020. Despite the shortened season, Georgia was top-three in the SEC in multiple team categories including slugging and on-base percentages, runs, hits, RBI, home runs, doubles, triples, total bases, walks drawn, and stolen bases. Nationally, Georgia ranked top-10 in scoring (7.64 runs per game), slugging (.591), on base percentage (.429), and walks (104). Georgia’s .335 batting average finished 11th.
The 2019 season saw the end of Alyssa DiCarlo’s career. Under Baldwin’s mentorship, DiCarlo went down as one of the best hitters in Georgia softball history. DiCarlo shattered Georgia’s career records for home runs, RBI, extra-base hits, and total bases while appearing in the top 10 in numerous other offensive categories. She earned All-America status for the second season in a row in 2019. DiCarlo was drafted as the fourth-overall pick in the NPF Draft to the Chicago Bandits. DiCarlo and freshman Fincher earned All-SEC honors for their efforts at the plate.
Following the 2019 season, Baldwin had the honor of working with the USA Softball U-19 team over the summer as an assistant coach. The U-19 WNT brought home the bronze medal at the USA Softball International Cup. USA concluded its summer by walking off Japan to win the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup. With the win, Team USA became the first team in history to win three consecutive U-19 World Cup Titles and its seventh title overall.
The 2018 season was one of the best offensive seasons for Georgia. The Bulldogs posted the third-best batting average in the country with a .333 clip. It was the second-straight season the Bulldogs won the SEC team batting title. Georgia ranked fourth in the NCAA with a .526 slugging percentage and 10th with a .404 on-base clip. Many Bulldogs shined in 2018 at the plate including leadoff hitter Cortni Emanuel (.431 average) who ranked second in the nation with 91 hits. DiCarlo blasted 21 home runs to rank sixth nationally while driving in a seventh-best 67 runs. Both Emanuel and DiCarlo were top-25 finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year award and each earned NFCA All-American status. Emanuel was also named the recipient of the New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe Award, given to the most prolific base stealer in the country. Emanuel was the 23rd pick of the NPF Draft by the USSSA Pride, becoming the 13th Bulldog selected in the draft. The Bulldogs concluded the 2018 campaign by making their fourth program appearance at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The 2017 season saw the Bulldogs win the SEC team batting title with a .338 batting average, 22 points higher than second-place Tennessee. That figure ranked fifth-best in the country. Sisters Sydni and Cortni Emanuel concluded the season as top-four hitters in the conference, finishing with .436 and .426 batting averages respectively. The sisters’ 2017 batting average rank fourth and sixth in Georgia’s single-season top-10 list. Sydni became the latest ProDawg when she was drafted by the Akron Racers as the 16th-overall pick of the NPF Draft. Cortni was named an NFCA All-American for the second-straight season in 2017.
In 2016, Georgia had its second-best batting average in school history, hitting .342 with eight Bulldogs holding a .300 or better average on its way to the program’s third Women’s College World Series appearance. After a tough offseason of individual work with Baldwin, many individuals put up stellar numbers. Tina Iosefa led the nation while breaking the SEC record with 87 RBI during the season, earning her NFCA All-America honors. DiCarlo was named to the All-SEC First Team as a freshman after hitting nine of her 11 home runs against SEC opponents and notching 63 RBI on the year, the most of any freshman in the NCAA.
In his first season back in Athens, the Bulldog offense exploded, ranking 13th in the nation with a .343 batting average. Georgia finished 11th nationally with 7.21 runs per game and 18th with a .420 on-base percentage. Baldwin guided two NFCA All-Americans in Alex Hugo and Cortni Emanuel, as Hugo was first in the SEC and 12th in the NCAA with 22 home runs while Emanuel was eighth nationally in stolen bases and top-100 in batting average. Nine staples to the Bulldog lineup posted batting averages of .330 or higher at the end of the 2015 season. Once the season concluded, six Bulldog batters were named NFCA All-Region while four made it to an All-SEC Team.
Before returning to Athens, Baldwin was an assistant coach at North Carolina. Baldwin’s primary responsibilities included developing the team’s hitters and infielders. In 2014, Baldwin coached four .300 hitters and had three players hit double-digit home runs. Under Baldwin’s guidance, three Tar Heels were named to the All-ACC Team, including one first-team selection and two second-team selections. In his first season, he helped nine Tar Heels finish the season batting over .300 while six had slugging percentages over .500.
Prior to his first stint at Georgia as volunteer coach, Baldwin spent 14 years coaching Division I baseball. Baldwin was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Michigan State from 2006-08. Baldwin’s first recruiting class at Michigan State matriculated a Freshman All-American and multiple draft picks. His second recruiting class was ranked the top recruiting class in the Big Ten and was ranked top 50 in the country by Baseball America. His third recruiting class also produced a Freshman All-American and became the class with the most wins in school history.
Before Michigan State, Baldwin was the assistant head baseball coach at Dartmouth College from 2003-05 after serving as the assistant coach from 1999-2003. At Dartmouth, he was the recruiting coordinator, travel manager, eligibility coordinator, and worked with fundraising and alumni relations. Baldwin was the hitting and fielding coach, coordinated team defense, and was the third base coach, helping the team to Dartmouth’s first Red Rolfe Division Titles in 2000, 2001, and 2004.
Baldwin was the assistant coach at Butler University from 1996-99, and was the head coach of the Decatur Blues, of the Central Illinois Collegiate League, in 1999. At Butler, Baldwin was the hitting coach, coached the infielders and catchers, and coordinated team defense. He helped lead the team to three MCC titles (1996, 1998, and 1999), which were the first in the history of the program.
A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Baldwin graduated from Butler in 1995 with a degree in finance. He was a four-year starter at catcher for Butler. In 1994, he served as a team captain for the Bulldogs and earned All-MCC honors. He is a member of the 1990's All-Decade Team.
In addition to coaching, Baldwin served as the operations director at Camp Weequahic in Lakewood, Pennsylvania from 2009-12.
Baldwin and his wife Suzanne have four children: Ella, Abby, Brady, and Katie.
The 2024 season saw the Bulldogs reach the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and the second time in three seasons under Baldwin. Georgia's season saw the Dogs reach No. 3 in the country, the highest ranking since the 2011 season. The Dawgs concluded the season 43-19 and an even .500 in SEC play at 12-12. A trio of Dogs earned All-SEC honors with Sydney Kuma becoming the program's first-ever Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. The offense finished eighth nationally in home runs per game and 14 in slugging.
Baldwin guided Georgia to its first appearance in the NCAA Super Regional with him at the helm in 2023. Georgia drew the 14-seed in the NCAA Tournament, powering its way through the Athens Regional en route to a Super Regional matchup at No. 3 Florida State. The Bulldogs concluded the season 42-15 with a 16-7 SEC record, good enough for a second-place finish in the league. The Dogs' 16 SEC wins were the most since 2018. Under Baldwin's guidance, Jayda Kearney (first team) and Sydney Kuma (third team) were named NFCA All-Americans. In total, six Bulldogs garnered All-SEC status in 2023, the most since seven were honored in 2016.
Once again, Georgia's offense shined in 2023 as UGA finished tops in the SEC in batting average (.318), home runs per game (1.61), slugging (.578), and doubles per game (1.4). The Dogs' slugging percentage finished second in the country only to Oklahoma while Georgia finished sixth in home runs per game.
In the offseason, Baldwin once again answered the call to serve on staff for the USA Softball Women's National Team. In July, the WNT traveled to Fingal-Dublin, Ireland for the Women's Softball World Cup qualifying round. The Eagles went undefeated en route to punching their ticket to the World Cup Finals held in Italy July 15-21, 2024. It was then on to Santiago, Chile for the 2023 Pan American Games in October-November. Once again, the USA was dominant, going 7-0 to capture the gold medal. The gold medal victory marked the 10th Pan American Games gold medal for the U.S. WNT while extending its overall record to 106-5.
In his first season at the helm of the program, Baldwin guided Georgia to a 43-18 record in 2022 and an even 12-12 SEC record. The 2022 season was the 18th 40-win season in the history of the program. The Bulldogs made their 20th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, drawing the Durham Regional. Georgia ultimately fell to #12 Duke in game seven of the Regional after overcoming a game one loss and winning three-straight to force the winner-take-all contest. The season featured a 16-game win streak from Feb. 19 to March 12, tied for sixth-longest in program history. The Bulldogs concluded the season No. 22 in the NFCA Coaches poll, the 20th time the Bulldogs finished the season in the top 25.
Baldwin mentored junior Sara Mosley and senior Lacey Fincher to NFCA All-America honors in 2022. It was the first time Georgia had multiple All-Americans in the same season since 2018 (Cortni Emanuel, Brittany Gray, Alyssa DiCarlo). Mosley and Fincher joined Kearny, Kuma, and Sydney Chambley in earning NFCA Southeast All-Region honors. Georgia also put four on the All-SEC teams in 2022.
Georgia's explosive offense reached new heights in 2022 as the Bulldogs broke the program record for single-season home runs, blasting 107 on the season. That number finished third in SEC single-season history. Six Bulldogs topped double-digit home runs led by Fincher's 19. As a team, Georgia ranked top 10 nationally in scoring (6.72 runs/game), home runs per game (1.75), slugging (.594), and on base percentage (.408). The Dogs' .323 team batting average finished 11th best in the country. Fincher and Mosley each finished in the top 50 in the country in home runs.
Following the 2022 season in Athens, Baldwin joined the US Women's National Team as an assistant coach. Team USA won Gold at the World Games in Birmingham, going 5-0 and defeating Japan 3-2 in the Gold Medal game. Team USA outscored its opponents 31-4 en route to the title. It was Baldwin's second stint with Team USA as he served as an assistant coach for the U-19 Team in 2019.
After serving as a Georgia volunteer assistant from 2011-12, Tony Baldwin rejoined the Bulldog coaching staff as an assistant coach in June 2014 before being promoted to associate head coach shortly after the 2016 season.
Georgia’s offense has found successful production since Baldwin’s arrival.
The 2021 season saw the Bulldogs go on a remarkable run through the NCAA Tournament en route to Georgia's fifth program appearance in the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Georgia began the season winning 21 of its first 23 games including a series victory over Missouri to open Southeastern Conference play. A tough SEC schedule resulted in a 7-17 record in league play. Georgia's schedule as a whole finished as the fifth strongest in the country in 2021. The regular season was highlighted by a midweek win over top-ranked and then-undefeated Oklahoma in Athens. Despite ending the regular season on a seven-game losing streak, the Bulldogs came out in the NCAA Tournament ready to roll. Georgia defeated Western Kentucky and No. 13 seed Duke in the Athens Regional to win a date with fourth-seeded Florida in Gainesville. Georgia went on to shut out the Gators in back-to-back games in the Super Regional to punch its ticket to OKC. The Bulldogs concluded the tournament scoring 34 runs while slugging 11 home runs in seven games.
A trio of underclassmen including sophomore Kuma (All-Newcomer Team) and freshmen outfielders Chambley and Kearney (All-Freshman Team) was honored by the SEC for their efforts in 2021. Fincher and redshirt-sophomore Jaiden Fields each earned nods from the NCFA as All-Region Team performers. As a team, Georgia concluded the season ranked 13th nationally with 1.46 home runs per game, knocking 83 total home runs.
In the abbreviated 2020 season, the Bulldogs hit .335, the third-best in the SEC, through 28 games. Freshman Kuma hit .438 on the season, one of the best in the league. Fellow rookie Mosley knocked in 31 runs with nine doubles in 2020. Despite the shortened season, Georgia was top-three in the SEC in multiple team categories including slugging and on-base percentages, runs, hits, RBI, home runs, doubles, triples, total bases, walks drawn, and stolen bases. Nationally, Georgia ranked top-10 in scoring (7.64 runs per game), slugging (.591), on base percentage (.429), and walks (104). Georgia’s .335 batting average finished 11th.
The 2019 season saw the end of Alyssa DiCarlo’s career. Under Baldwin’s mentorship, DiCarlo went down as one of the best hitters in Georgia softball history. DiCarlo shattered Georgia’s career records for home runs, RBI, extra-base hits, and total bases while appearing in the top 10 in numerous other offensive categories. She earned All-America status for the second season in a row in 2019. DiCarlo was drafted as the fourth-overall pick in the NPF Draft to the Chicago Bandits. DiCarlo and freshman Fincher earned All-SEC honors for their efforts at the plate.
Following the 2019 season, Baldwin had the honor of working with the USA Softball U-19 team over the summer as an assistant coach. The U-19 WNT brought home the bronze medal at the USA Softball International Cup. USA concluded its summer by walking off Japan to win the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup. With the win, Team USA became the first team in history to win three consecutive U-19 World Cup Titles and its seventh title overall.
The 2018 season was one of the best offensive seasons for Georgia. The Bulldogs posted the third-best batting average in the country with a .333 clip. It was the second-straight season the Bulldogs won the SEC team batting title. Georgia ranked fourth in the NCAA with a .526 slugging percentage and 10th with a .404 on-base clip. Many Bulldogs shined in 2018 at the plate including leadoff hitter Cortni Emanuel (.431 average) who ranked second in the nation with 91 hits. DiCarlo blasted 21 home runs to rank sixth nationally while driving in a seventh-best 67 runs. Both Emanuel and DiCarlo were top-25 finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year award and each earned NFCA All-American status. Emanuel was also named the recipient of the New Balance/NFCA Golden Shoe Award, given to the most prolific base stealer in the country. Emanuel was the 23rd pick of the NPF Draft by the USSSA Pride, becoming the 13th Bulldog selected in the draft. The Bulldogs concluded the 2018 campaign by making their fourth program appearance at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
The 2017 season saw the Bulldogs win the SEC team batting title with a .338 batting average, 22 points higher than second-place Tennessee. That figure ranked fifth-best in the country. Sisters Sydni and Cortni Emanuel concluded the season as top-four hitters in the conference, finishing with .436 and .426 batting averages respectively. The sisters’ 2017 batting average rank fourth and sixth in Georgia’s single-season top-10 list. Sydni became the latest ProDawg when she was drafted by the Akron Racers as the 16th-overall pick of the NPF Draft. Cortni was named an NFCA All-American for the second-straight season in 2017.
In 2016, Georgia had its second-best batting average in school history, hitting .342 with eight Bulldogs holding a .300 or better average on its way to the program’s third Women’s College World Series appearance. After a tough offseason of individual work with Baldwin, many individuals put up stellar numbers. Tina Iosefa led the nation while breaking the SEC record with 87 RBI during the season, earning her NFCA All-America honors. DiCarlo was named to the All-SEC First Team as a freshman after hitting nine of her 11 home runs against SEC opponents and notching 63 RBI on the year, the most of any freshman in the NCAA.
In his first season back in Athens, the Bulldog offense exploded, ranking 13th in the nation with a .343 batting average. Georgia finished 11th nationally with 7.21 runs per game and 18th with a .420 on-base percentage. Baldwin guided two NFCA All-Americans in Alex Hugo and Cortni Emanuel, as Hugo was first in the SEC and 12th in the NCAA with 22 home runs while Emanuel was eighth nationally in stolen bases and top-100 in batting average. Nine staples to the Bulldog lineup posted batting averages of .330 or higher at the end of the 2015 season. Once the season concluded, six Bulldog batters were named NFCA All-Region while four made it to an All-SEC Team.
Before returning to Athens, Baldwin was an assistant coach at North Carolina. Baldwin’s primary responsibilities included developing the team’s hitters and infielders. In 2014, Baldwin coached four .300 hitters and had three players hit double-digit home runs. Under Baldwin’s guidance, three Tar Heels were named to the All-ACC Team, including one first-team selection and two second-team selections. In his first season, he helped nine Tar Heels finish the season batting over .300 while six had slugging percentages over .500.
Prior to his first stint at Georgia as volunteer coach, Baldwin spent 14 years coaching Division I baseball. Baldwin was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Michigan State from 2006-08. Baldwin’s first recruiting class at Michigan State matriculated a Freshman All-American and multiple draft picks. His second recruiting class was ranked the top recruiting class in the Big Ten and was ranked top 50 in the country by Baseball America. His third recruiting class also produced a Freshman All-American and became the class with the most wins in school history.
Before Michigan State, Baldwin was the assistant head baseball coach at Dartmouth College from 2003-05 after serving as the assistant coach from 1999-2003. At Dartmouth, he was the recruiting coordinator, travel manager, eligibility coordinator, and worked with fundraising and alumni relations. Baldwin was the hitting and fielding coach, coordinated team defense, and was the third base coach, helping the team to Dartmouth’s first Red Rolfe Division Titles in 2000, 2001, and 2004.
Baldwin was the assistant coach at Butler University from 1996-99, and was the head coach of the Decatur Blues, of the Central Illinois Collegiate League, in 1999. At Butler, Baldwin was the hitting coach, coached the infielders and catchers, and coordinated team defense. He helped lead the team to three MCC titles (1996, 1998, and 1999), which were the first in the history of the program.
A native of Bloomington, Indiana, Baldwin graduated from Butler in 1995 with a degree in finance. He was a four-year starter at catcher for Butler. In 1994, he served as a team captain for the Bulldogs and earned All-MCC honors. He is a member of the 1990's All-Decade Team.
In addition to coaching, Baldwin served as the operations director at Camp Weequahic in Lakewood, Pennsylvania from 2009-12.
Baldwin and his wife Suzanne have four children: Ella, Abby, Brady, and Katie.
Georgia Softball vs Florida NCAA Super Regional Game 3 Postgame Press Conference
Monday, May 26
Georgia Softball vs Florida NCAA Super Regional Game 2 Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, May 24
Georgia Softball vs Florida NCAA Super Regional Game 2 TV Highlights
Saturday, May 24
Georgia Softball vs Florida NCAA Super Regional Postgame Press Conference
Friday, May 23
