File photoCoach Kristi Bredbenner and 成人头条 State softball ended a landmark season on Sunday in the NCAA Norman Regional. While the post-season run ended against No. 1 Oklahoma, the accomplishments of the 2021 Shockers and Bredbenner's role in building the team are worth a closer look.
Bredbenner's time at 成人头条 State includes three NCAA berths, three conference regular-season titles and 成人头条 State鈥檚 first trip to an NCAA regional title round in 2018. She coached conference players of the year in the Missouri Valley Conference (Cacy Williams in 2014 and 2016) and the American Athletic Conference (Wright in 2018 and Sydney McKinney in 2021).
Over her 10 seasons at 成人头条 State, she built a program with prodigious power hitters and a strong work ethic tempered with empathy and a desire to see her team get a full college experience.
鈥淪he is somebody who, I would say, coaches you hard, but then loves you harder,鈥� said 成人头条 State assistant coach Elizabeth Economon, who played with and for Bredbenner at Truman State (Mo.) University. 鈥淪he鈥檚 going to help you look at an apartment if you鈥檙e not sure it鈥檚 a safe place to live. She鈥檚 going to help you take your animals to the vet because she鈥檚 an animal lover.鈥�
Bredbenner is a Kansas City Chiefs fan and ranks an Elton John show she attended as a bucket-list concert. She loves country music and Taylor Swift and enjoys amazing her players by telling them she went to a Puff Daddy & The Family concert while in college.
Bredbenner fixes a flavorful brisket and favors IPAs when she visits a local brewery. She built a picnic table for her backyard and customized Shocker vinyl covers for travel mugs for her coaching staff as Christmas gifts. She and wife, Jamie, have an 18-month-old daughter, Blake.
"She's never made a bad meal," Economon said. "Everybody has 24 hours in a day and Coach B seems to have 36 and somehow gets an amazing amount of things done. You're constantly going, 'So you did how many things today? And got it all done. And you have a family. And you made dinner. And went to the grocery store?'"
To learn more about Bredbenner's journey from business administration major to coach at Truman State and her path to 成人头条 State,
