The Newell File

Personal Information
Birthday	April 22
Hometown	Noble, Ill.
Education	Williams Baptist, 2002 (Bachelor's) William Woods University, 2004 (Master's)
Wife	April
Children	Gabriella, Juliana, Adalynn, Jillian, Jacqueline, Josiephine

Coaching History
2023-pres.	Troy - Head Coach
2015-22	Auburn-Montgomery - Head Coach
2007-14	Williams Baptist - Head Coach
2002-06	Fredericktown (Mo.) HS - Head Coach

Eric Newell prepares for his fourth season as the Troy softball coach, reaching win No. 100 in 2025 after three straight 30-plus win seasons.

A third straight 30-plus win season gave him win No. 100 at Troy with a win over South Alabama in the regular season finale. He coached the Trojans to their first-ever series win over Louisiana with two walk-off victories. Newell also defeated South Alabama, Texas State, Georgia State and Coastal Carolina in SBC series to end 33-24, 12-12 SBC. His Trojans shattered the program record for sac flies (21) and slugging percentage (.506) with five players hammering eight or more homers.

Under Newell, Taylor McKinney cemented herself one of the greats, earning All-Sun Belt First Team, NFCA All-Region Gulf Second Team and placing fourth in career batting average (.342), second in slugging percentage (.628), fourth in on-base percentage (.441), second in RBIs (157), third in homers (40), fifth in runs (150), tied for 10^th in triples (9) and tied for second in walks (100). He also coached Alyssa Faircloth (SBC leader in hits allowed per seven innings (5.01) and shutouts (4)) and McKinnon Howard (program leader in single-season batting average (.439)) to the All-Sun Belt Second Team.

2024 saw Newell coach two All-Sun Belt honorees, Taylor McKinney and Audra Thompson, for a fifth seed in the SBC Tournament (34-22, 13-11 SBC). McKinney led the Trojans on a .354 clip and 1.091 OPS in league play, knocking seven doubles, two triples and six homers in 2024. Meanwhile, Thompson held down the defense at shortstop, sitting second for the Trojans with 99 putouts and 78 assists. On the offensive end, she had 13 extra-base hits on six doubles and seven homers. The pair also grabbed NFCA All-Region First Team alongside Libby Baker, who also earned the Rawlings Gold Glove award. Baker doubled with the fifth-most innings pitched (164.1) for the seventh-lowest opposing batting average (.234) while tying for the fourth-most RBIs and homers in the league at 48 and 13 – she also ranked second with six sac flies.

He coached the Trojans to a postseason victory over Coastal Carolina, 16-0, for the first since 2022 and his tenure. His leadership brought Troy to its third-highest batting average (.300) in program history and highest since 1999 (.294). Newell also coached Troy to a program record .481 slugging percentage.

Newell led the Trojans to a 33-19-1 record in 2023, including a pair of victories over ranked opponents as Troy defeated No. 25 Texas State and No. 25 Louisiana during Sun Belt Conference play.

Four Trojans earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors: Taylor McKinney, Kelly Horne, Leanna Johnson and Libby Baker, and Troy ranked into the top five within the Sun Belt in multiple statistical categories: runs scored (fourth-265), total bases (fifth-588), walks (second-185), slugging percentage (fifth-.437), triples (third-11), on-base percentage (fourth -.366), RBIs (fourth-232) and home runs (fourth-49).

Newell propelled Taylor McKinney to one of the top players in the league as she hit at a .349 clip in addition to leading the Trojans with 51 RBIs while her 12 home runs were tied for the most on the team. In the circle, Leanna Johnson finished her legendary career with her best season on record as she pitched to a 24-9 record with a 1.99 ERA. She set the program record with 101 career wins and passed the 1,000-strikeout mark for her career.

In 17 seasons as a head coach, Newell’s teams have dominated on the field, posting a combined .727 winning percentage between his eight years at Williams Baptist (254-121) and eight seasons at AUM (302-88). Newell-coached teams have won eight conference titles and appeared in six NCAA or NAIA postseason tournaments with four World Series appearances.

Prior to Troy, Newell led Auburn-Montgomery to back-to-back No. 3 national rankings in the 2021-22 seasons as the Warhawks were among the final six teams remaining in the 2022 NCAA Division II Softball World Series after AUM won both its Regional and Super Regional matchups.

Newell’s aggressive style of play led AUM to ranking in the top 14 nationally in scoring his final four seasons with the program. Additionally, the Warhawks stole more than 100 bases in each of his final four full seasons, including 179 in 2019, the third-most in the country. AUM’s 2.82 stolen bases per game in 2018 were the fifth-most nationally.

AUM’s dominance also translated to the circle, where Warhawk pitchers combined for a 1.97 ERA with 66 complete games and 54 shutouts from 2019 to 2022.

This past season, Newell guided the Warhawks to 49 wins, their most ever since moving to the Division II level in 2017 and most since Newell’s 2016 NAIA World Series squad won 53 games. AUM was electric on the field, stealing 105 bases in 62 games, all while belting 54 home runs, 71 doubles, 20 triples and posting an .852 team OPS. Additionally, the Warhawks averaged 6.3 runs per game and finished ninth nationally in runs scored.

AUM pitchers tossed 31 complete games and 12 shutouts with the Warhawks’ top two pitchers both finishing with sub 1.70 ERAs on the year.

Newell and the Warhawks were rewarded for their outstanding play, with Gia Martin earning All-America distinction, Newell taking home Gulf South Coach of the Year honors, three Warhawks earning all-region awards and five taking home all-conference recognition.

AUM’s 2022 season was a perfect bookend for Newell’s career in the Capital City after he began his tenure leading the Warhawks to the 2015 NAIA National Championship. AUM rolled through the Southern States Athletic Conference with a 24-2 record and didn’t allow a run in the AUM Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round. The Warhawks finished the year with a school record 46 wins as they won their four games in the World Series by a combined 31-1 score. He was named the SSAC and NAIA Coach of the Year, while he and assistant coach Scottie Wilkes were named the NAIA Coaching Staff of the Year by the NFCA.

Individually, Cassie Jones was named the 2015 NAIA National Player of the Year, NAIA All-American and the SSAC Pitcher of the Year.

Newell led AUM in its transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II prior to the 2017 season, and it didn’t take long for the Warhawks to adjust to their elevated level of competition. Newell led AUM to a 43-12 record in 2019, including a 20-9 mark in the Gulf South Conference, and had the Warhawks rolling in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. AUM had won seven games in a row and nine of its last 10 when the season was halted.

Newell and the Warhawks responded to the adversity by posting the school’s best season to date at the Division II level in 2021 by finishing with a 40-7 record, a Gulf South Conference regular season championship, a Gulf South Conference Tournament title, an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, three All-Americans and a No. 3 national ranking during the season.

In the process, Newell captured his 500^th career victory as a head coach, and AUM landed five players on all-conference teams at the end of the season, including four first team selections. The Warhawks opened the season winning their first 14 games, earning the squad their first ever Top 25 national ranking, and they followed that later in the year with a doubleheader sweep at No. 1 North Georgia.

In 2020, the Warhawks led the conference in runs (169) and RBIs (146) while leading the league in shutouts (9), hits allowed (80), runs allowed (47) and fewest walks surrendered (37).

AUM added 14 wins to their 2019 total from 2018, finishing 43-12 overall and 20-9 in GSC play. The Warhawks won their first 11 games, including a 9-0 victory over No. 3 North Georgia to open the season and added series victories over No. 16 Valdosta State and No. 21 Mississippi College later in the year.

Newell’s run-and-gun softball style was on full display as freshman Olivia Aycock set the program record for stolen bases in a single season (47), while five players hit over .300 on the year. The Warhawks posted a 1.91 team ERA in the circle, with four pitchers posting sub 2.00 ERAs on the year.

AUM’s 2018 squad finished with a 19-14 record in its first season competing in the Gulf South Conference, thanks to six series victories within league play.

During AUM’s first season transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II, Newell guided the Warhawks to a 25-18 record in 2017. AUM won its first NCAA Division II game against No. 13 Valdosta State in early February, and the Warhawks later knocked off No. 17 Alabama-Huntsville.

In the year after AUM’s national title, Newell led AUM to a school record 53 wins and the program’s first SSAC Tournament title. The Warhawks finished the season ranked third nationally and won a pair of games in the NAIA World Series.

Taylor Powell earned All-America honors in addition to SSAC Pitcher of the Year distinction that season, while three Warhawks earned all-conference honors and catcher Sarah Angulo took home the SSAC’s Gold Glove award.

Prior to joining the Warhawks, Newell posted a 254-121 record in his eight-year stint at Williams Baptist University, setting the school record for wins and winning percentage. He led the squad to a pair of NAIA National Tournament appearances, including a fourth-place finish in 2013.

Prior to his arrival at the NAIA school in Walnut Ridge, Ark., the Lady Eagles endured nine straight losing seasons. However, during his tenure, Newell’s teams were ranked in the NAIA Coaches Top 25 for 26 consecutive weeks, including 10 weeks ranked inside the Top 10.

Newell guided the program to four consecutive American Midwest Conference championships from 2010-13 and was selected the Coach of the Year four times. In addition, he coached five NAIA All-Americans, eight NAIA Scholar-Athletes, 37 all-conference selections and 102 academic all-conference performers.

In 2013, the Lady Eagles finished 46-9 and advanced to the NAIA World Series for the first time in program history. Williams Baptist won 19 consecutive games, finished 16-2 in the AMC and defeated former SSAC power Lee University and perennial power Reinhardt to advance in the NAIA Tournament.

The season prior, Williams Baptist finished with a school-record 51 victories, at one point winning 16 straight games. Newell guided the team to a regular season title behind a 15-1 record and a conference tournament championship.

Newell began his coaching career at Fredericktown (Mo.) High School, where he started the softball program and coached for five seasons.

Newell earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Williams Baptist and earned his master’s degree from William Woods University. He and his wife, April, have six daughters: Gabriella, Juliana, Adalynn, Jillian, Jacqueline and Josephine.

Year	School	Record	Conf. Record	Conf. Finish	Postseason
2025	Troy	33-24	12-12	8th	SBC First Round
2024	Troy	34-22	13-11	5th	SBC Semifinals
2023	Troy	33-19-1	14-9-1	4th	SBC Quarterfinals
Troy Totals		100-65-1 (.605)	39-32-1 (.549)
2022	AUM	49-13	25-5	1st	GSC Champions / NCAA Softball DII Finals
2021	AUM	40-7	25-5	1st	GSC Champions / NCAA Regional
2020	AUM	17-5	8-5	N/A
2019	AUM	43-12	20-9	3rd
2018	AUM	29-16	19-14	7th
2017	AUM	25-18	N/A	N/A
2016	AUM	53-8	16-4	1st	NAIA World Series
2015	AUM	46-9	24-2	1st	National Champions
AUM Totals		302-88 (.774)	137-44 (.757)
2014	Williams-Baptist	22-22	13-9	5th
2013	Williams-Baptist	46-9	16-2	1st	NAIA World Series (4th Place)
2012	Williams-Baptist	51-10	15-1	1st	NAIA World Series
2011	Williams-Baptist	31-12	13-3	1st
2010	Williams-Baptist	32-12	12-4	1st
2009	Williams-Baptist	24-18	11-5	4th
2008	Williams-Baptist	32-12	7-7	4th
2007	Williams-Baptist	16-26	8-6	5th
Williams Baptist Totals		254-121 (.677)	95-31 (.754)
Career Totals		666-274-1 (.708)	271-107-1 (.716)

Name	Title	Email Address	Phone (334-670-XXXX)	Twitter
Eric Newell	Head Coach	newelle@troy.edu	3446	e_newellcoach
Camden Decker	Assistant Coach	deckerc@troy.edu	5744	CamdenDecker
Mackenzie Puckett	Assistant Coach	puckettm@troy.edu	3969	MackPuck01
Nate Tompkins	Assistant Coach	ntompkins@troy.edu	3446	NateTompkins
Kristy Lawrence	Director of Operations	kalawrence@troy.edu	808-6296

Troy University Athletics

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Coaching Staff