Bre Padgett is in her third year as an assistant coach with the Roadrunners in 2011. Padgett has spent the past several years as the head baseball and softball coach with Great Starts Sports Camps.
In 2010, she helped head coach Jen Fisher earn the highest honor for a college coach, garnering CaptainU National Coach of the Year honors. The Roadrunners made their second straight NCAA Tournament apperance and won their second straight RMAC regular season and tournament championships. Metro State finished the year with a 53-6 mark, including a conference record 37 wins with just two losses. However, the wins were not the only record set by the Roadrunners in 2010. They shattered the national home run record, totaling 112 to top the previous record of 98. They also broke the RMAC records for ERA, runs scored (tied the previous record) and home runs in conference games. Metro State also set the school record by winning 17 consecutive games from April 10 to May 6.
The team was led by third baseman Tara Mickelson, who was named Daktronics second team All-America and led the nation in home runs with 25 long balls. Shortstop Amber Roundtree and pitcher Christie Robinson were also honorable mention All-America selections. Robinson was also named RMAC and Central Region Pitcher of the Year.
After winning the RMAC regular season title, Metro State bounced back in the loser's bracket to win the RMAC Tournament after dropping a second round game. The Roadrunners swept Mesa State in the championship, winning 19-6 in the first game and 11-9 in 10 innings in the championship game. They went on to go 3-0 at the regional tournament, topping Mesa State again and Minnesota State twice. Facing No. 17 Wayne State (Neb.) in the super regional, Metro State won game one 2-1 on a walk-off home run by Jennessa Tesone and took game two 6-2 in nine innings to advance to the World Series.
At the World Series in St. Joseph, Mo., the Roadrunners fell in the opening round to No. 19 Angelo State (Texas) in a game that will be remembered for 20 illegal pitches called on the Roadrunners. Fisher's team regrouped and edged No. 7 Wayne State (Mich.) 1-0 and No. 1 North Georgia 4-1, beating first team All-America pitchers in each game. The season finally came to an end with No. 3 Hawaii Pacific, which went on to win the national championship.
Padgett and the coaches were named NFCA Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
In her first season at Metro State, she helped the team finish 40-12 overall and win the RMAC regular season and tournament championships in just the second year of the program. The Roadrunners also advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Padgett graduated from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in May, 2006, with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and sports nutrition. She played two years for the Lopers after earning first team all-region and academic all-region honors as a member of two region championship teams at Otero Junior College.
A native of Parker, Colo., and a 2001 graduate of Ponderosa High School, Bre lives with her husband, Chris, in Brighton, Colo.
