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2008 Softball Coaches
BeckyBruns
Head Coach
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Becky Bruns enters her fourth season as the head coach of the Judson University softball team and has made tremendous strides in the proggram.  In her first two seasons she recorded a combined 30 victories and then last year she guided the Eagles to their first-ever post season appearance at the NCCAA National Tournament.  In her three seasons, she has established a more disciplined, professional program.
 
Last year was a big stepping stone in the Bruns era as the team finished 18-24 and went to the NCCAA National Tournament where they won their first-ever post-season game over Cedarville University, 3-2.  She also coached two NCCAA All-Americans and had one all-CCAC First-Team selection.
 
The 2006 season brought a 14-25 record as the team kept improving from the previous season.  Two players were named to the NCCAA All-Region team along with one on the all-CCAC honorable mention team.
 
In 2005 she led the team to 11 more wins than the previous season, and guided the Eagles to a third-place finish in the CCAC standings. She coached the program’s first All-American and battled hard with the conference’s top teams. Although the program has a lot more room to grow, Bruns has things moving in the right direction.
 

Prior to coming to Judson, Bruns spent three years as an assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan University. As part of the staff, Bruns helped guide the Titans to a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III World Series in 2003, an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002 and three straight regular-season CCIW championships. The Titans also won the CCIW Tournament Championship in 2002 and 2003. In 2003, the coaching staff earned CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year.

Bruns was a four-year player for Illinois Wesleyan from 1998-2001. Her teams made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2000 and 2001. As a senior she was a team captain and also received the Gwen Meyer Award for Outstanding Leadership, Sportsmanship and Hard Work. She was on the Dean’s List and earned the Order of the Titans Award for Community Service and Leadership.
 
In 2001, Bruns graduated from IWU with a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Mathematics. Following graduation Bruns joined the IWU coaching staff while also completing her Master’s Degree at Illinois State University. In 2003, she earned her Master’s of Science in Kinesiology and Recreation with a concentration in Athletic Administration and Sports Management.
 

Bruns, formerly Stenning, is also an excercise science professor for Judson.  She is a 1997 graduate of Crete-Monee High School and currently resides in Elgin.   She also has one dog, a golden retreiver, Moose.


NatalieSmith
Assistant Coach

Assistant coach Natalie Smith is in her second season after a great two-year career at Judson as the team’s starting catcher. Prior to coming to Judson, Smith played two seasons at Elgin Community College where she was an All-Conference player. As a senior at Judson, Smith batted .264 with 29 hits and 14 RBI. A team tri-captain, Smith’s leadership on and off the field was instrumental to the team’s success, including a third place finish in the CCAC.

Smith is an Elgin native and a graduate of St. Edwards High School. She earned her degree in Elementary Education at Judson in May 2006.


JessHart
Assistant Coach

Becoming an assistant coach after playing two years for Judson, Hart was a captain last season for Becky Bruns. Hart finished her career with 35 hits, 29 runs scored, nine doubles, three home runs, and 17 RBI. Last season, she helped the Eagles to their first-ever national tournament as they played in the NCCAA National Tournament.

In her first season at Judson, she was named a NAIA scholar-athlete. She batted .250 while playing in all 39 games. She also led the team with three home runs and had six multi-hit games.

Before coming to Judson, she spent two seasons at Elgin Community College. In two years, she earned Skyway All-Conference First-Team honors, Region IV All-Region Second-Team, and was an Academic All-American.

She is the daughter of John and Sandy Hart and is a 2003 graduate of St. Edwards High School. At St. Edwards, she was an All-Conference, All-Area, and Academic All-Conference selection in both softball and basketball. She was on honor roll all four years and received the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame scholarship. She is finishing up her degree in sports management.