THOMASVILLE, Ga. - Thomas University is proud to announce the promotion of Jessica Sanders to Interim Athletic Director, effective immediately. Sanders brings over a decade of coaching experience and a proven track record of leadership to her new role, having served as the university's Senior Women's Leader since June 2023.
"I would like to thank Kurt Stringfellow, interim president, for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I also want to thank my wife, Jess, and my kids, Sullivan and Quinn, for always supporting me and being willing to watch so many games. Lastly, I want to thank my dad, who also serves as my assistant softball coach, for instilling in me a love of sports from such a young age and helping me become the coach that I am today."
As Senior Women's Leader Sanders led initiatives to professionalize the athletic department by setting key performance indicators for coaches and administrators and creating a plan to grow the department. Sanders has also served as the head softball coach for the past four seasons after serving as an assistant softball coach for eight seasons. In the 2025 campaign Sanders led Night Hawks softball to a NAIA National tournament berth for the first time since 2018 while also breaking her career century mark in wins.
Prior to her time at Thomas University, Sanders spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Shorter University. During her tenure at Shorter, the Lady Hawks captured the NAIA National Softball Championship in 2012 and finished second in the NCCAA National Tournament in 2013.
Before her time at Shorter, Sanders spent one season at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. In the program's inaugural season, Our Lady finished as the regular season conference runner-up in the Red River Conference.
Sanders began her collegiate playing career at the University of West Georgia. In her freshman season, she hit 15 home runs; now tied for second most in a single season. Following her freshman season, Sanders transferred to Shorter and earned All-SSAC accolades in 2006, 2007, and 2008 for the Lady Hawks. In 2006, Sanders was named SSAC Player of the Year as a sophomore, setting Shorter's single-season home run record with 16. Her .924 single season slugging percentage remains the record at Shorter. In her career at Shorter, she was a two-time NAIA All-American, and is currently Shorter's career leader in home runs (37) and batting average (.400) and is second all-time in doubles and RBI. In 2013, Sanders was inducted into the Shorter University Hall of Fame as the first softball player in the Hall's history.
As a former student athlete Sanders puts an emphasis on the student athlete experience. "My primary goal as Athletic Director is to make the student-athlete experience so positive that our athletes want to bring their family and friends to share in all of the amazing things that Thomas University has to offer." Sanders states that what she looks forward to the most in her new role is "continuing to work with my colleagues, building on the strong foundations we have established together. By sharing knowledge, ideas, and experiences, I believe we can create a positive environment that not only supports athletics but also uplifts and strengthens all of Thomas University and the surrounding community."
