INSTRUCTORS
Caitlin M. Colvin - Owner/Lead Instructor
Caitlin is the Owner and Lead Instructor at The Champions Gate. From Division 1 to Professional play, she brings years of experience to The Gate. She played travel softball for 6 years with the Washington Lady Hawks Miller, a Top 10 nationally ranked team. She spent 4 years at Ohio University, a Division 1 school, where she ranked in the Top 20 in home runs per game and season in 2013. She was awarded the All-Academic team for the Mid-American Conference and coached collegiately at Ohio University from 2013-2014. In a professional capacity, Caitlin played for the USA Affiliate Softball in Prague, Berlin, and Curcoa from 2013-2015 before moving to the European Softball League in Amsterdam in 2016. She has been giving softball lessons to all ages since 2013 and has developed players to the collegiate level. With numerous years of experience, Caitlin brings a depth of understanding to the game that is unmatched. She dedicates herself to understanding her athletes on both a personal and athletic level to guarantee that they reach their full potential under her leadership.
Michael Clarke - Lead Strength & Agility Instructor
Please welcome Michael Clarke to the Champions Gate family! Michael is a motivated sports performance coach with a background in exercise science. His extensive knowledge in speed and agility, strength and flexibility training, fitness program design, mental strength training, and nutrition coaching make him a valuable asset to our athletes. Michael has trained and developed over 200 players, including 5 All-American athletes, several state Players of the Year, and 9 pro athletes. His multi-sport coaching experience brought his athletes to both regional and state championships. As a 2-time Coach of the Year, Michael understands the needs of his players both on and off the field and uses his expertise to evaluate, council, and develop a variety of aspects for the athlete-in-training to excel. Michael will be running speed and agility programs as well as offering instruction in baseball and softball.
Caitlin Rogers - Softball Instructor
With 18 years of experience, Caitlin brings a depth of knowledge about the game of softball. Caitlin most recently completed her softball career at Georgia State University where she played from 2016-2020. Caitlin led the majority of the 2019 season with doubles in the sunbelt with 16. She finished her 2019 season with a team leading .305 batting average and was cut short of her 2020 senior season.
Caitlin was a four year starter at Eastside high school in Covington, GA, where she finished her senior year with a .603 batting average with 5 homeruns, 22 doubles and 4 triples. Caitlin earned first-team all region honors all four years of her high school career.
Caitlin has three years of experiencing coaching and giving lessons. Caitlin coached varsity softball at Eastside high school during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Caitlin has been giving lessons for three years and enjoys meeting new clients and sharing her tips. She is excited to bring on new clientele here at Champions Gate and is ready to share her knowledge about her hitting technique while also mentoring the younger softball generation and leading people to Jesus along the way.
Lauren Hawkins - Softball Instructor
Lauren Hawkins was a two-year starter at Winder Barrow High School, playing outfield and catcher. She then continued her playing career at Gordon State College as a full-time catcher and a contact hitter. She transferred to Wesleyan College her junior year and played outfield for two years. After finishing her college career, she assisted with a Nike baseball camp and coached at a Nike softball camp.
Syndey Nieveen - Softball Instructor
Sydney was a 4 year starter at NCAA Division II University of Sioux Falls. While there, she registered a .330 career batting average, including a .487 slugging percentage, 32 doubles and 16 home runs (7th all time at USF) along with 92 RBI (5th all time) and 133 runs scored.
Splitting time between pitcher and 1st base she recorded a 2.90 ERA in 125.1 innings along with a career fielding % of .988. Sydney earned 2nd team All-NSIC honors twice in her career.
Tristen Green - Baseball Instructor
Former NCAA Division III Baseball player with 5 years of collegiate experience at Covenant College, 10 years of direct training with former MLB pitcher Vladimir Nuñez, Over 15 years of overall playing experience. 1 season of coaching experience with Bethlehem Christian Academy
Becca Meade - Softball Instructor
With a combined 15 years of pitching experience, Becca Meade played most recently at Georgia College and State in 2018, but before pitching at the division II level, Becca had a record setting tenure as a junior college player at Georgia Highlands College. During her freshman campaign in the NJCAA, Becca led NJCAA in strikeouts, wins, and saves; earning 1st Team All-Region honors, along with Region XVII All-Tournament Team in both years while at GHC. As a result of stellar performance, Rebecca currently holds the record for wins, saves, and ERA at Georgia Highlands College. After suffering an injury her senior year, Becca made the decision to hang up the cleats as a player. Once healthy, she continued to develop young players of all ages in the Eatonton and Milledgeville area with an emphasis not only on spin and pitch development, but injury prevention as well.
Before college, Becca was a four year varsity athlete at Apalachee High School, with all region honors from 2011-2015, along with being awarded AAAAA Region Pitcher of the Year in 2014 & 2015. Aside from high school, Rebecca has a combined 10 years of top tier travel ball experience while playing for Team Georgia and Georgia Impact.
Bex Prairie- Softball Instructor
Rebecca “Bex” Prairie is a former Division 1 catcher for Georgia Tech that was known for her ability to command the field and stop runners from advancing. Before college, she batted cleanup for East Cobb Bullets Schnute and is now returning to the softball coaching world to help girls with a passion like her own shape their careers in the sport.
BJ Armstead - Baseball Instructor
BJ Armstead is a native of Atlanta, GA and started playing organized baseball at three years old. As a teenager, he was ranked among the best Shortstops in the state of Georgia and was slated to be a high draft pick upon graduating from high school. He was a four-year varsity starter in high school (where he was a 3x All-Conference member) and went on to play division 1 baseball before coming back to Atlanta to finish his undergraduate degree and playing career at Morehouse College. While in college, BJ was a part of the All-Conference team and the All-Academic team. He continues to be involved with the sport by teaching players of all age groups the fundamentals of hitting, fielding, throwing, and baserunning. BJ specializes in teaching athletes about the mental side of sports in all regards, from Mental Toughness and Mindfulness to Mental Health. BJ brings a wealth of knowledge from experiences coaching baseball and softball from the T-Ball level to the Collegiate level.