Dawn Simmons

Head Coach

Entering her 26th season with over 700 wins, the most by a softball coach in the history of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Dawn Simmons took over her alma mater as head softball coach in 1999 and developed the program into a national powerhouse, including a 2019 NCAA Super Regional berth and 2008 National Championship Appearance.

The storybook 2019 season saw Lynchburg play to a 37-15 record, a NCAA Virginia Beach Regional title, and the opportunity to host the Super Regional round of the national tournament. Lynchburg earned Simmons' 600th-career victory with a tournament win over Manhattanville. The Hornets finished the season ranked No. 10 in Division III, and Simmons and her staff were named the Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

In 2024, Simmons added a new milestone to her glorious career with her 700th victory against the New York University Violets on March 16, 2024.  The Hornets started off with an immaculate 9-0 start, their best since 2018. Simmons’ squad finished the season with a 29-13 record, including an exceptional 20-2 home record, marking the 11th straight year the Hornets exceeded 20 wins on a season. The team saw two All-State honorees, Sarah Watts, who also tallied All-Region and All-ODAC, and Kailey Dorcsis who was also named to the All-ODAC First-Team. The season concluded with five All-ODAC winners, five All-District winners, and a Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner, Lexi Powell.

In 2023, Lynchburg went 24-19 with a trip to the ODAC tournament. Gracie Dooley highlighted a group of four Lynchburg players on all-conference teams, and the senior was also named first-team all-state and second-team all-region after leading the ODAC in on-base percentage.

In 2018, Simmons coached the Hornets to a 30-14 record and an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament, where the team participated in the Atlanta Regional at Emory University.

Simmons won her 500th game on April 13, 2017 in a doubleheader sweep of Shenandoah University. Lynchburg finished the 2017 season 29-15, had 10-straight victories in the beginning of March. The Hornets ended the season with a 12-8 in-conference record while having the most success on the road, going 13-5 when away from Moon Field.

The Hornets finished 31-13 in 2015, including a 16-4 mark in conference play. Lynchburg went 31-16 in 2014, finishing second in the ODAC regular-season. The Hornets earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year.  

The 2013 season saw Lynchburg return to the NCAA Tournament after a 32-13 record. Simmons earned her 400th career win in a doubleheader sweep of Mary Washington and was named the ODAC Coach of the Year.

In 2012, Coach Simmons oversaw one of her youngest teams and finished with a 21-19 overall record with a 12-6 finish in ODAC competitions, good enough to tie for third-place overall.

The 2010 and 2011 campaigns saw the Hornets combine for 45 wins and Lynchburg finished above .500 in each season. In 2009, the Hornets posted a record of 38-8-1, just one win shy of their record-setting total. They also won their third straight ODAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

In 2008 the Hornets went 39-8, the best season in school history. Lynchburg won the ODAC regular-season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second-straight year. Lynchburg won the Fayetteville Regional and advanced to the finals for the first time in program history. In 2007 Lynchburg won the ODAC Tournament and advanced into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Hornets won three games in regional competition and finished the year 36-13.

Simmons' 2006 team finished 30-15 and led the Hornets in 2005 to a 31-9 record. Lynchburg tied for first place in the conference, and she was named the ODAC Coach of the Year for the third-straight season.

During her tenure, the Gretna native has led the Hornets to the ODAC Tournament in every year of her tenure. She currently boasts an overall record of 719-378-2.

Simmons graduated from Lynchburg in 1997 with her bachelor's degree in health, movement science and recreation. The former three-sport athlete was inducted into the Lynchburg Sports Hall of Fame in 2008