Jerry Breaux, Head Coach
Jerry Breaux will enter his 19th year as Evangel University's head softball coach in 2011. Breaux has helped guide the Evangel program from its infancy to national prominence while capturing 10 Heart of America Athletic Conference championships since 1996. He guided the Crusaders to six straight league titles from 2004 to 2009. Evangel has been ranked in the NAIA's top 25 every season since 2000.
Breaux was honored last December with the Easton Victory Club award from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association for his 500th career win at the college level achieved last season. Breaux has a career record of 526-329-2 (.615) in 18 years as head coach at Evangel. Within the Heart of America conference, Breaux is 231-87-1 (.728) and has been a remarkable 128-31-1 (.803) in the league since 2004. He has been named HAAC Coach of the Year six times (1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009) and NAIA Region V Coach of the Year twice (1997 and 2007).
Last season, Breaux guided the Crusaders to a 32-13 record and 14-6 finish in the conference. Danelle Billings was named an honorable mention NAIA All-American and first team All-Conference selection as a freshman hitting .454 with 15 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .941 slugging percentage.
His players have been honored by a plethora of conference awards as his Crusaders have featured the HAAC Pitcher of the Year five times, the league Player of the Year five times, Newcomer of the Year three times, and Freshman of the Year twice.
Breaux has also coached 11 NAIA All-Americans during the last eight seasons: Summer Kimble in 1999, Amy Hiatte in 2002, Jami Potter in 2005, Kimberly Williams and Kim Waltz in 2006, Julia Thrasher and Kaylee Nelson in 2007, and Stephanie Beaverson in 2008, Kendra Corbin and Breanna Canclini in 2009, and Dani Billings in 2011.
Not only have Breaux's teams been successful on the diamond, but they have excelled in the classroom as well. His athletes have won 24 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. The most prestigious honor came for the 2007-08 academic school year as the EU softball team earned the number one national ranking among NAIA schools and teams for their team grade point average (GPA) of 3.68; this included five Academic All-Americans from the 2007-08 EU squad. Their outstanding GPA of 3.68 also had them ranked number two among all four-year colleges and universities in America.
As an Evangel student, Breaux earned two degrees. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies in 1981 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1982. Breaux earned his master's degree in Guidance & Counseling at Missouri State University in 1986.
Breaux's coaching career began as an Evangel baseball assistant (1978-82). After a brief time away, he returned to coaching to help form, organize and become head coach of the Ozark Missouri Rangers Baseball Club (1986-1991). The Rangers organization was a summer college program with dual affiliations in the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC) and the National Baseball Congress (NBC). Breaux's roster included players from several area colleges and universities from Missouri State, Missouri Southern, Evangel, Southwest Baptist, and College of the Ozarks. The Rangers organization won a record four consecutive Missouri State Championships in the AABC Stan Musial Division (1988-91). The team also made four Stan Musial regional tournament appearances, placing third in the 1989 nine-state tournament field in Eau Claire, Wis. Breaux turned in an outstanding 182-48 overall coaching record with the Rangers.
Breaux's softball coaching career began in 1992 when he became head coach of the Branson Stars ASA softball organization. Breaux coached the 14-and-under Stars team for one season before returning to coach baseball from 1993-1995. Breaux coached the Ozark (1993) and Nixa (1994-95) programs in the prestigious Springfield American Legion baseball league.
Breaux has been affiliated with Evangel University since 1978 when he was first a student. During this time, he was a student assistant coach for the EU baseball program while also becoming the public address announcer for EU sports. Since 1980, Breaux has been the P.A. voice for EU football and basketball home games, a span of 32 seasons.
In 1993 he became head coach of the EU softball program that was still in its infancy being established in 1989. In addition to his present coaching duties for the university, Breaux is also the Athletic Department Recruiting Coordinator. He has also been a guest writer for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as well as other publications. He is a 1972 graduate of LaGrange Senior High School in Lake Charles, Lou. where he played all sports excelling in baseball. After high school, he played for an independent minor league team under former MLB pitcher Don Nottebart. Breaux and his wife, Mary, reside in Ozark, Mo.
Coaching Highlights
- 18 teams have advanced to postseason play
- Coached program’s first-ever NAIA All-American, Summer Kimble, who was the conference and Region V Player-of-the-Year in 2001
- Ten conference championships (1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
- 16 teams with 20 or more wins, seven with over 30 wins
- Conference Coach-of-the-Year six times (1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009)
- 2000 team earned first-ever national ranking (No. 21)
- Players have earned 114 all-conference honors (46 on the first team)
- Two players, Summer Kimble and Amy Hiatte, won program’s first-ever NFCA All-America honor
- Athletes have won 24 NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors
- Has won 849 career games are various levels with 526 of those wins at Evangel
- Six teams have finished in the NFCA’s top-10 academic NAIA
| Coach | Year | Record | Conference Record | Rank | Conference Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Bohacek | 1989 | 3-9 | 1-5 | 7 | Tarkio College |
| John Bohacek | 1990 | 1-12 | 0-4 | 8 | Tarkio College |
| Lynn Bowen | 1991 | 2-23 | 0-7 | 9 | William Jewell College |
| Lynn Bowen | 1992 | 8-19 | 4-6 | 5 | Central Methodist & William Jewell |
| Lynn Bowen | 1993 | 7-21 | 3-5 | 6 | Culver-Stockton & William Jewell |
| Jerry Breaux | 1994 | 10-26 | 2-8 | 8 | Culver-Stockton College |
| Jerry Breaux | 1995 | 20-23 | 7-9 | 5 | Missouri Valley College |
| Jerry Breaux | 1996 | 28-19 | 13-3 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 1997 | 27-16-1 | 15-3 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 1998 | 28-20 | 9-4 | 2 | Lindenwood University |
| Jerry Breaux | 1999 | 34-19 | 11-2 | 1 | Evangel University & Lindenwood |
| Jerry Breaux | 2000 | 29-20 | 10-3 | 2 | Lindenwood University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2001 | 32-18 | 14-6 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2002 | 24-24 | 13-7 | 2 | Lindenwood University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2003 | 18-23 | 9-11 | 7 | Culver-Stockton University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2004 | 38-19 | 17-3 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2005 | 44-17 | 17-3 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2006 | 36-13 | 17-3 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2007 | 32-13-1 | 16-3-1 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2008 | 28-18 | 15-5 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2009 | 34-13 | 17-3 | 1 | Evangel University |
| Jerry Breaux | 2010 | 32-15 | 16-4 | 3 | Lindenwood & MidAmerica Nazarene |
| Jerry Breaux | 2011 | 32-13 | 14-6 | 4 | Central Methodist |