RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
Rob Gillis has started over, but this time as the head coach of his own ball club.
The longtime coach who lives in Canton, Georgia begins:
“You hear it all the time—in movies, TV shows and even from family members—about ‘starting over,’ but to live it… that is special. My father used to say, ‘Son, if I knew what I know now and could go back in time, well, you’d better watch out!’”
After seven successful years as an assistant coach of the Atlanta Vipers 07 team led by Stacy Tamborra, Coach Gillis has ventured off on his own and appreciates the fastpitch softball journey he’s been privileged to have been part of.
“When I first started off in this softball world,” he marvels, “I was just a dad. Then, one day, I was asked to help throw front toss, and the rest was history.”
During his tenure with the Vipers – Tamborra top-ranked team as an assistant, Gillis worked with Viper teams ranked by Extra Inning Softball in the Top 10 nationally as a 12U team, Top 15 as a first-year 14U team and was part of three National Championships during his stint within the Atlanta Viper organization.
When asked about his biggest coaching accomplishment, the Peach State-based club coach responds:
“In 2021, the Vipers played in Colorado and California when we were a first-year 14U team, playing second-year 14U teams, and the competition was fierce. The girls were able to finish Top 10 in both tournaments and the experiences and memories made were incredible.”
While competing at the highest levels, Coach Gillis was also able to work with more than two dozen current and former Extra Elite 100-ranked 2024 and 2025 players including his daughter, Abby Gillis, who was ranked in the Top 40 of the 2025 Extra Elite 100 when published last Spring.
But, like with most worthwhile things—especially in the world of sports—there comes a time to call it a day and Coach Gillis felt it was time to end his tenure with the older powerhouse 07 Tamborra team.
“I just believed it was time for me to take what I learned over those seven years and start over,” the coach recalls. “My youngest daughter was coming out of rec ball, and it was her time. My ‘internship,’ so to speak, was over and it was time to set off on my own.”
You don’t just roll the ball out on the field, however, and expect great things to happen. Gillis knew his first order of business was finding great coaches to help work with the young team.
Coaching Staff
Leigh Prickett was his first hire and brought over 15 years of coaching experience to the Vipers team when assembled last Fall.
After a successful playing career at Marshall University, Prickett coached for five years at the college level before moving into youth softball. From 2009-2011, she was part of the Reinhardt University program in Waleska, Ga., and helped the Eagles to a combined 109-44 record, capturing Appalachian Athletic Conference championships in 2010 and 2011, with the last season culminating with a ranking of No. 13 in the nation and an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament.
After Reinhardt, Leigh spent a handful of years as an assistant coach at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga., before leaving that position to work with Champions Fast Pitch Academy in Marietta, Ga., where Coach Gillis first met her.
“I knew I wanted a female coach,” he explains. “I think it is very important for female athletes to have that female connection, especially when they are first learning the game and starting out. Leigh is someone that has been there and done that as a player and a coach and is an outstanding leader for these athletes. The Viper organization and team are lucky to have her!”
The head coach finalized his staff by bringing in the experienced Joe Kotula, who is now in his third round of coaching travel ball.
“Joe brings a wealth of knowledge and years of experience to the team,” Gillis continues, “as both a coach and a parent. He has worn many hats during his softball tenure including head coach, recruiting coordinator, pitching coach and park commissioner for over 20 years.”
In his two decades in the sport, Kotula says he has loved watching his former athletes go onto successful D1 softball careers, including his oldest daughter, Kennedy, who pitched for four years in college at Young Harris. Today, his daughter Abby is an accomplished lefty slapper on the Vipers 2013 team.
“I enjoy seeing the girls move up to the next level and compete,” Kotula says. “To see their growth as young ladies and athletes is awesome! It is a blessing to follow their careers from travel to college… it’s what makes this game great.”
Coach Gillis wants to take his knowledge and combine it with his coaching staff’s vast experience and build the best group of well-rounded softball players in the country.
“I want these girls to get it,” he explains. “I want them to understand what it takes to be the best and compete with the best. This game is a grind and it takes dedication and an internal fire they all need to have.”
Success Out of the Gate
The first iteration of the Vipers 2013 – Gillis team rolled out last Fall and hit the ground running as a first-year 10U team, winning several tournaments and quickly becoming known as one of the top young squads in its age division in the Southeast.
“I learned very early on,” the team’s head coach explains, “that to get better, you must play against top competition. You must fail and challenge your team and, guess what? We did that right away.”
The Vipers 2013 team is made up of players from all over the Atlanta area and is based out of Woodstock, Georgia. The ensemble wrapped up its Fall campaign at the USSA World Series in Birmingham, Ala., and just last month won the USFA March Madness event:
Congratulations to the 10U Atlanta Vipers-Gillis team for taking home the Gold in the USFA March Madness event. We 👀 you working!@AVGillis2013 pic.twitter.com/9joaLAdWFm
— Atlanta Vipers Fastpitch (@thevipernation) March 29, 2023
The current travel ball season will wrap up in July at the USFA National World Series in Panama City, Fla.
Coach Prickett summarizes the success of the 10U team that’s barely nine months old.
“This team thrives on being the underdog,” she says. “When we play older teams, our first-year players always seem to rise to the moment. If they don’t, they learn, and we move onto the next challenge.”
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball