"First off, I want to thank Dr. Ross, Dr. Cable, Hornet Nation, all the student-athletes, and the coaching staff I have enjoyed working alongside the last five years. My experience at Bama State has been the most rewarding of any stops along my journey," Bradley said. "These types of decisions are never easy. With a lot of reflection, tears, and prayer this is the day I have decided to step away from the game to focus more time on my health and family. For those who may not know, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 16, and over the past eight to nine years I have started to see & experience more complications because of the disease. Those of you who are closest to me know that I always want to give the best of myself regardless of the endeavor. Unfortunately, I am no longer convinced I can do that with 100 percent certainty. Thank you to my beautiful wife & sons, Erica, Tyler & Kyle, and my supportive family for always standing by my side and being with me during this transition. I am looking forward to spending more time with all of you. I am not saying goodbye, just see you later and I will be here as long as it takes to help the department during this transition."
ASU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Jason Cable said, "Coach Bradley's unwavering dedication, passion, and commitment to the softball program have shaped the lives of countless student-athletes. Under his guidance, our teams have not only achieved athletic excellence, but off the field, his teams have performed at a prominent level academically earning over a 3.3 GPA and led the department in community service hours. We are saddened to lose Coach Bradley but understand his decision to do what is best for his health and his family. On behalf of the entire Alabama State University community, we thank Coach Bradley from the bottom of our hearts. We wish him strength, health, and happiness in the next chapter of his life."
Bradley is proud of the program's 90 percent graduation rate and community service hours the softball program has accomplished.
This past season Bradley won his 500
th career game on February 10 in a 5-2 win over Fort Wayne. He also picked up his 100
th career win as a Hornet in a 9-1 win over Alabama A&M on March 30.
During the 2024 season, the Hornets led the nation with 31 triples and, and .54 triples per game average. The Hornets also placed 4 athletes on the All-Conference team and knocked off two-time defending SWAC Champion Prairie View A&M twice at the SWAC Tournament.
In 2023, Bradley led Alabama State to the SWAC East Division crown and helped the Lady Hornets earn distinction in the conference by coaching the Player & Hitter of the Year,
Kindall DeRamus, and Pitcher of the Year,
Bailey Greenlee. The team also had five selections for all-conference and won the DI softball statistical champion with 3.4 stolen bases per game.
During the 2022 campaign, Bradley helped guide Alabama State to a championship berth in the conference tournament while also coaching DeRamus to her first Player of the Year honor. The Lady Hornets finished that year with four players earning all-conference honors.
2021 ASU captured the SWAC Softball Championship with an 8-1 win over Alcorn State earning a birth in the NCAA Tournament participating in the Tuscaloosa Regional.
During his first season at the helm of the Lady Hornets, Bradley led the team to a 10-15 record overall and were scheduled to begin conference play when the season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alabama State was hitting .273 as a team, with four hitters over .300 including Alexis Sydnor at .449. The team was pitching at a 5.40 earned run average through 154.1 innings in the circle.
He served one season on the Fresno State softball coaching staff serving as the team's hitting coach from 2018-2019.
Bradley helped guide the Bulldogs to their most wins since the 2016 season and a postseason berth in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) in 2019. With 37 wins the 'Dogs recorded their 38th consecutive 30-win season while going 23-5 at home, the most home wins by a Fresno State team since the 2012 season.
Offensively, the Bulldogs led the Mountain West Conference and ranked 18th in NCAA Division I with a .399 team on-base percentage for the season. The 'Dogs also ranked 23rd in the nation in batting average (.308), a significant improvement over a .289 team batting average during the 2018 season. In 2019 the 'Dogs were the third-highest scoring team in the MW, averaging 5.19 runs per game while scoring four or more runs in 40 games and getting shut out just six times all season.
Bradley guided outfielder McKenzie Wilson to MW Freshman of the Year honors as she hit .398 overall and .400 in MW play while leading the MW in hits and breaking the single-season program and MW records with 39 stolen bases. Wilson was also an All-MW first-team selection while designated player Hayleigh Galvan, first baseman Rachel Minogue, and third baseman Schuylar Broussard earned All-MW second-team honors.
Minogue ended the season as the toughest player to strike out in NCAA Division I with just two strikeouts in 176 at-bats. She also hit .341 and earned NFCA All-Region second-team honors as did Galvan, who hit .336 and led the team in home runs (10), RBI (45), slugging percentage (.584), and on-base percentage (.457). Bradley's hitters combined for three MW Player of the Week honors during the season with Galvan earning the honor twice and Broussard getting it once.
Before moving to Fresno State in August of 2018, Bradley spent the four previous years as the head coach at NCAA Division I Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.
Bradley's offensive approach led Campbell to five-year averages of a .289 batting average, a .452 slugging percentage, and a .368 on-base percentage all while scoring 290 runs per season. His teams had success driving the ball, averaging 55 home runs and 74 doubles per season. In 2018, Campbell led the Big South and ranked 12th in NCAA Division I, averaging 1.20 home runs per game and the Camels also led their conference and were 27th in Division I with a .469 slugging percentage.
Bradley led Campbell to 145 wins in his four seasons as head coach. The Camels finished as the Big South runner-up in 2016 and 2017 and appeared in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC). His teams earned several high-profile wins, including a victory over No. 12 South Carolina with the help of three solo home runs and wins over Virginia and Duke. He mentored a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-American, the 2017 Big South Player of the Year Amber Schisler, two NFCA All-Regional Selections, and multiple All-Big South selections each year.
Bradley was an assistant coach at Campbell starting in 2012 and was promoted to Associate Head Coach before assuming the head coaching role. Before joining the Camels, Bradley was the head coach at Incarnate Word for three seasons and was named conference Coach of the Year twice. He was the head coach at Pfeiffer University for three years, leading the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008.
Bradley started the softball program at his alma mater, Western Baptist College (now Corban University) in 2003. He also has experience as an assistant coach at Utah State from 2005-06.
A native of Pendleton, Ore., Bradley began his coaching career at Blue Mountain Community College in his hometown. He started the Timberwolves' softball program and led the team from 1999-2004 before starting the team at Corban.
Bradley earned his bachelor's degree in sports and fitness management from Corban University (formerly Western Baptist College) in Salem, Ore. in 1999 where he was a member of the Warrior baseball team.
He married the former Erica Baty in June of 2016 and the couple have two sons, Tyler and Kyle.
Coach Bradley Career
Blue Mountain CC: 2000-2004 – 82-79
Corban University: 2005 – 20-25
Pfeiffer: 2006-2010 – 83-67
Incarnate Word: 2010-2012 – 86-72
Campbell: 2014-2018 – 145-141
Alabama State: 2019 – 2024 – 111-125
Career: 2000-2024 – 527-509
