College Coach Spotlight: Brian Levin of Southern Miss… Green Beret, All-American Kicker, Record-Setting Coach (What CAN’T He Do?!?)

After honoring the Extra Elite 100 coaches at the high school and club levels, we turn our attention to the college ranks.

One strong candidate to make the Extra Elite 100 College Coach rankings is Southern Miss’s Brian Levin, who has accomplished so much not just as an athlete and coach, but in his service to his country and his Christian faith.

We got a nomination from someone in the softball community who wrote:

“I have seen Coach Levin impact young women in a positive way for a long time. He is very passionate about what he does and has been very successful. His whole adult life he has worked in the service of others, which is evident by his service to our country as a Green Beret for 20 years before going into college coaching, and he has a track record of taking below average programs and turning them into winners in his 12 years as a head coach.”

As a remind, the coaches at all levels were nominated and selected by four criteria: softball success/accomplishments, development of players, impact and passion. There’s no doubt, that Coach Levin checks the boxes in all four categories!

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INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Name: BRIAN LEVIN
Position: Head Coach
Team: University of Southern Mississippi
Location: Hattiesburg, MS
How long at current position: 1 year and 6 months

Record (current program): 14-8 after shortened season due to COVID 19
Record (career): 351-161 (.687)
Key individual accomplishments: 

• National Pro Fastpitch Coaching Staff of the Year: 2014
• Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year: 2011, 2015
• Voted “Best Hire” by Nashville Scene magazine: 2016
• Peru State College Hall of Fame: 2018

TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

 
University of Southern Mississippi accomplishments (2019-present)

• team ranked in the top 20 in five offensive categories
• at one point, the team was #1 in scoring in the country

Belmont University Accomplishments (2017-2019)

• Most wins in a season since turning NCAA DI in 1998: 35 in 2017
• Most improved team in NCAA DI for a new staff: 2017
• Recorded 91 wins in three seasons – most in history of program in a three-year span
• Took team to OVC conference tournament 2 of 3 years (first two appearances in program history)
• First time to have players named Google Academic All-Americans: 2017, 2018, 2019

Akron Racers Accomplishments (2014-2016)

• National Pro Fastpitch Coaching Staff of the Year: 2014
• Led team to most wins in four years: 2014
• Led team to championship finals: 2014
• Coached first female to win a Rawlings Gold Glove: 2016 (AJ Andrews)
• Coached Rookie of the Year: 2016 (Sami Fagan)
• Coached the Offensive Player of the Year: 2014 (Nerissa Meyers)
• Coached Jenny Finch Award Winner: 2014 (Kelley Montalvo)
• Coached All time pitching wins leader (Sarah Pauly)
• Coached 14 All-NPF players
• Coached other great players like Rachel Fico, Jill Barrett, Ashley Thomas, Charlotte Morgan, Lisa Norris, Taylor Schlopy, Alex Hugo, Jen Gilbert, Alison Owen, Jalyn Ford, Hannah Campbell

NCAA DII University of Missouri – St. Louis Accomplishments (2011-2016)

• 4 Consecutive NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
• Overall record of 249-83 (.750)
• Overall conference record of 144-40 (.783)
• Averaged over 41 wins a season
• Record over final three years 150-25 (.857)
• All-time winning coach in school history
• Conference Tournament Champions: 2013, 2014, 2015
• Midwest Region Champions: 2014, 2015
• Conference Coach of the Year: 2011, 2015
• Conference Regular Season Champions: 2011, 2015
• Team ranked #1 in NCAA polls: 2015
• Team ranked in top 10 every poll: 2016
• Team ranked #1 in the NCAA in fielding % (2016) – best in NCAA history
• Team ranked #1 in the NCAA in home runs and HR’s per game (2015) – third most in NCAA history
• Team pitching staff was ranked #1 in the NCAA for strike outs per seven innings: 2014, 2015
• First DII player drafted into the National Pro Fastpitch League: 2016 (Hannah Perryman)
• Coached player to a NCAA record for perfect games in a year: 2015
• Coached player to a NCAA record for strike outs: 2016
• Coached player to a NCAA record for career perfect games in any NCAA division: 2013-2016
• Coached player to a NCAA record for career strike outs: 2013-2016
• Coached player to a NCAA Player of the Year top 3 finalist position
• Coached Conference Pitcher of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2015
• Coached Conference Player of the Year: 2011
• Coached Conference Freshman of the Year: 2014, 2015
• Coached Eight All-Americans
• Coached 21 All-Region players
• Coached 37 All-Conference players

Miscellaneous:

• Was deployed 22 times to 16 different countries during his 20 years of service (served in Ranger Regiment as an Airborne Instructor and 5th Special Forces Group as a Green Beret)
• Once called home from one of Saddam Hussein’s castles in Iraq
• Being a man of convictions, during his time at the Christian university (Belmont) he took the team on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.
• Also baptized four of the players on the team while there.
• Was an NAIA All-American placekicker in football, was on two NFL team’s possible draft lists and tried out with the New York Giants.
• Had invitational tryouts with the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds in baseball.