The RoundHouse | 4/24/2022 5:45:00 PM
Kristi Bredbenner deflected praise and dismissed the significance of win No. 314, as coaches are supposed to do in those situations. While she downplayed her role in the day, the scene at Wilkins Stadium told the story.
Another good crowd – 469 fans – celebrated Wichita State's fourth consecutive run-rule victory, 19-0 over Memphis on Sunday. Bredbenner, in her 11
th season, became Wichita State's winningest coach, passing Jim Maynard, who went 313-329 from 1989-99.
The Shockers hit three home runs, two by right fielder
Addison Barnard. Pitcher
Erin McDonald no-hit the Tigers, the second no-hitter of her career. Alums from the Bredbenner era joined the party in person and on social media. Shocker coaches such as
Isaac Brown and
Colin Foster stopped by.
In right field, fans watched from a party porch erected this season to meet demand for seats. After Sunday's win, university president Rick Muma, athletic director
Darron Boatright, family and friends celebrated Bredbenner's milestone on the field.
All of that is a tribute to Bredbenner's work over the past 11 seasons – a 314-247-1 record, eight winning seasons, three NCAA regionals and three conference titles that built Shocker softball into something it had not been.
"It's cool, but it had no bearing on the game," she said. "To me, it was all about making sure we took care of business. I kind of got into them a little bit (Saturday), because I felt like the intensity level wasn't consistent throughout the game. Today, it was."
Bredbenner said that because the Shockers (28-13, 10-2 American Athletic Conference) can't afford a slipup as they chase No. 20 UCF for the conference title. UCF (39-11) lost at Houston 9-8 on Sunday to fall to 11-1 in the American. The teams meet at Wilkins Stadium starting May 6 in the final series of the regular season.
She prefers the attention on McDonald and Barnard's home runs – one inside the park – that extended her nation-leading total to 26.
Sydney McKinney tripled and
Wylie Glover homered.
Lauren Lucas went 3 for 3 and
Lauren Mills drove in our runs with two doubles against the Tigers (16-32, 2-13).
The people Bredbenner works with are happy to talk about her 11 seasons and her influence.
"I think the biggest difference between her and, probably, most coaches is that she actually cares about you, on and off the field," McDonald said. "She's always there, no matter what you need. When I have my bad times, she will call me into her office and say 'Dude, you're way better. You can do this.' She builds your confidence. A lot of people could tear you down."
First baseman
Neleigh Herring, a fifth-year senior, played on the 2018 and 2021 regional teams. She was teammates with many of the alums who Tweet enthusiastically about the Shockers, and she is now the leader of a new group.
"Coach B, she's one of those coaches who cares about you as a person," Herring said. "It's evident in the dinners at her house, how she makes sure we're taken care of. That kind of stuff comes through in games. When you know that your coach cares about you in that way, it makes it easier to play well for them, to want to play well for them."
In her office after the game, associate head coach
Elizabeth Economon watched the end of Houston's win over UCF and then considered how to explain Bredbenner's success.
"She is relentless, with work ethic, with recruiting, with coaching and teaching and fighting for female sports," Economon said. "The amount of belief she puts into people, you can't really put that into a number. I think she believes in everybody on our team, everybody on our staff, more than they'll ever know. She never gives up on anybody."
Economon traveled a similar path as Bredbenner. They were teammates at NCAA Division II Truman (Mo.) State and then Economon played shortstop when Bredbenner coached the Bulldogs in 2002 after her playing career ended. Economon coached at Pittsburg State before joining Bredbenner, who coached at Emporia State from 2006-11, as an assistant in 2017.
If anyone knows what Bredbenner thought about today's milestone, or what she might relish after the season, it is Economon. The images that shuttle through mind might be those of long hours on recruiting trips, working on the infield dirt and the outfield grass, fighting for resources and time in the batting cages.
"She would probably look back at where she got her start and say 'Wow,'" Economon said. "She wasn't going to coach. It happened upon her, and she happened to be really good at it."
The Shockers struggled in Bredbenner's first two seasons. They won the Missouri Valley Conference title in her third season, 2014. They won another in 2016 and earned an NCAA regional spot. In 2018, they returned to NCAA play. Last season, the Shockers won the American title and again played in an NCAA regional.
"I think she would look back at her first year and say, 'We weren't very good,'" Economon said. "But we didn't stop. We knew we could be good. For her to work so hard every day, but see the big picture, and know that in 10 years, this place could be something special. That takes a lot of investment and a whole lot of belief."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
