EMORY, Va. – Tommy Forrester, former Emory & Henry Head Softball Coach, passed away on Friday, November 15, 2024, at the age of 43. A 2004 graduate of Emory & Henry College, Forrester returned to Emory in the fall of 2013 and spent the next nine years leading the softball program to unprecedented heights. He stepped away from coaching following the 2022 season and served as an administrator in the Department of Athletics for an additional two years.

RELATED – Tommy Forrester Obituary (Tetrick Funeral Home)

Forrester was a 2024 inductee of the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame. He led the Wasps to a record 217 victories in nine years with seven winning seasons including a pair of 30-plus win campaigns. E&H reached the NCAA Division III Tournament on three separate occasions, finishing as the runner-up in the Seguin, Texas Regional in 2021 and tied for ninth in the country.

During his tenure as head coach, Forrester saw his student-athletes excel both on the field and in the classroom. He coached a First Team All-American, 30 All-ODAC players, 10 All-ODAC Tournament selections, seven All-Region players and saw his team earn countless academic honors.

As an undergraduate, Forrester was a four-year letterwinner in the infield for the Wasps' baseball team. He was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and was named the team's MVP as a senior in 2004. Forrester earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from E&H, graduating magna cum laude.

Forrester's true legacy will be remembered in the relationships he cultivated with everyone he came in contact with: his family, friends, colleagues and student-athletes. He embraced the concept of MUDITA, or the sharing of joy and celebrating others accomplishments as your own.

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