Spotlight on Softball Coach Kristi Bredbenner

Written by Paige Feikert

The lore of Wichita State baseball is well-known — the decades of excellence and consistent post-season appearances — but just across the street another team is finding its own place in Wichita State athletics greatness: softball. 

“We knew there were a lot of bat and ball fans in Wichita because of their support in baseball. We were able to convert, and not take away fans from baseball, but convert baseball fans into giving softball a try,” said WSU softball coach Kristi Bredbenner. “We’re putting a really good product on the field, and our fans have grown and people are really excited about it.”

The softball program at WSU has grown tremendously during Coach Kristi Bredbenner’s 14 seasons, earning five NCAA Regional appearances and two NCAA Regional Final appearances. Bredbenner is the winningest coach in WSU softball history, and she’s coached the only four All-Americans in school history, including Addison Barnard, Sydney McKinney — the most decorated player in WSU softball history — Lauren Lucas and C.C. Wong. McKinney, Lucas and Wong are graduate assistants with the team this year. 

‘We’re putting a really good product on the field, and our fans have grown and people are really excited about it.’ — WSU softball coach Kristi Bredbenner

Bredbenner entered her 15th season with the Shockers this spring, and the lineup looks a lot different than the 2025 team. The Shockers lost nine players from last year’s team to the transfer portal and brought in nine new transfers — two from junior colleges and seven from the transfer portal — as well as five freshmen. 

“The landscape of college athletics has changed in a major way, but we needed a refresher a little bit,” Bredbenner said. “Culture-wise we are in a good headspace, and I think that’s going to be important.”

The Shockers played two competitive tournaments to start the season, with most losses coming against teams ranked top 30 in the nation. WSU went on to win the Boerner Invitational in late February — winning every game they played. 

In early March, Ausha Moore, a sophomore transfer from North Texas, earned American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors for her appearances at the plate. The Shockers went on to sweep the University of Alabama at Birmingham in WSU’s first conference play homestand of the season. 

“It’s a new group and you can tell that they’re gaining a lot of experience that they’re not coming in with as the games go on,” Bredbenner said.

Wilkins Stadium Renovation

The success under Coach Bredbenner has caught the attention of fans and the University. The WSU softball stadium — Wilkins Stadium — is currently in Phase 1B of a nearly $20 million renovation. So far, the project has contributed to a specified softball indoor facility. Prior to the renovations, the softball team would have to carry their equipment across the street to the baseball indoor facility during unfavorable weather. Phase 1B will enable improvements to office space and locker rooms, and create a classroom and locker rooms for visiting teams. Future phases of the project include renovations to the entrance, fan experience and seating, and the outfield and event pavilions. 

“I do think our success and the support of our fans and community allowed our university, Dr. Muma in particular, to say, ‘We shouldn’t make our softball team carry their 150-pound pitching machines across the street when it starts to rain during practice,’ ” Bredbenner said. “The Wilkins Stadium renovation is unbelievable — it’s changed our lives, it’s changed our practices, it’s changed our recruiting.”

Bredbenner signed a contract extension with WSU in 2023, keeping her in Wichita until at least 2028 — a place she has grown to call home, along with her wife and children and several other WSU coaches who have spent more than a decade at the university. 

“A lot of what we experience at WSU is a family atmosphere. and when you have that and you’re happy when you go home, and you have the support when you go to work, and you like the folks you work with, it makes you want to stay,” Bredbenner said.