SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College softball head coach Chelsea Butler has announced the hiring of John Winters as assistant coach on Wednesday morning. Winters spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at USC Upstate.
 
"I am so excited to welcome John to Wofford College and our softball program," said head coach Chelsea Butler. "He has exceptional knowledge of our sport, a relentless work ethic, and a genuine passion for developing student-athletes on and off the field. Coach Winters has a tremendous ability to build relationships and connect with players while challenging them to reach their full potential. His energy is infectious, and I know our players are going to love having Coach Winters in their corner. I am certain he will make an immediate impact on our program and play an integral role in helping us continue to compete for a SoCon championship. Please join me in welcoming John, his wife Laura, and their two children Walker and Tally to our Wofford Softball family - the Terriers got better today!"
 
As the lead hitting coach for the Spartans, Winters led USC Upstate to a .329 batting average to lead the Big South in 2026. He assisted in the development of the Big South Player of the Year as well as five all-conference hitters. USC Upstate claimed the Big South Tournament Championship for the third year in a row and was a Tuscaloosa Regional finalist this past season.
 
In 2025, Winters led USC Upstate to a .342 batting average, ranking the team top 15 in the NCAA and first in the Big South. He helped the team to 507 hits to place 23^rd nationally. He helped the Spartans to eight all-conference honorees, including six first team and two second team selections. USC Upstate was also honored with the Big South Co-Freshman of the Year.
 
Prior to his stop at USC Upstate, Winters was an assistant coach at Furman University from 2022-25. At Furman, Winters helped the Paladins to a 2023 Southern Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year selection. In his first season in Greenville, he helped lead the team to a third-place finish in SoCon action.
 
From 2018-22, Winters was an assistant coach for Piedmont University. In his final season with the Lions, the team posted a 33-11 overall record with a 15-1 mark in conference play. Throughout his four seasons with the Lions, Piedmont posted a 93-43 record.
 
Winters served as an assistant coach with Francis Marion from 2017-18 and was a graduate assistant at the University of West Georgia from 2015-17. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2015 with a degree in biology and earned his master's in biology from West Georgia in 2017.