Brianna Hesson

Last updated

Brianna Hesson
Current position
TitleAssistant coach
Team Austin Peay
Conference ASUN
Biographical details
Born (1988-09-13) September 13, 1988 (age 36)
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Playing career
2008–2011 Georgia
2011 NPF Diamonds
2012–2013 Akron Racers
Position(s) First baseman, outfielder
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2013–2016 Auburn (GA)
2017 IUPUI (Asst)
2018 Louisville (Asst)
2019, 2022–present Austin Peay (Asst)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
  • 2× Second Team All-SEC (2009, 2011)
  • 2× All-SEC Defensive Team (2010, 2011)

Brianna Hesson (born September 13, 1988) is an American softball coach and former first baseman and outfielder, who is a current assistant softball coach for the Austin Peay Governors. She played college softball at Georgia from 2008 to 2011. She played in the National Pro Fastpitch from 3 seasons from 2011 to 2013 with her longest tenure as a player with the Akron Racers.

Contents

Hesson was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She attended North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia. After graduation from high school in 2007, Hesson enrolled at the University of Georgia and played first base and outfield for the Bulldogs, starting for four seasons. As a sophomore in 2009, and as a junior in 2010 she led Georgia to the Women's College World Series, finishing third both times.

The NFP Diamonds signed Hesson as an undrafted free agent in 2011. She played 3 years as a first baseman in the NFP, with the Diamonds in 2011 and the Akron Racers in 2012 to 2013.

Playing career

Hesson grew up in Sugar Hill, Georgia, where he attended North Gwinnett High School. Her stellar high school career led to her being inducted into the North Gwinnett Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. [1] Hesson would go on to play college softball for the Georgia Bulldogs, playing as a first baseman and outfielder. As a freshman in 2008, Hesson had a .237 batting average, a .311 on-base percentage (OBP), and a .304 SLG, with sixteen RBI. [2] As a sophomore in 2009, she batted .348 with a .646 SLG, 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 43 RBI, leading to her being named 2nd Team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC). [3] Her efforts helped lead the Bulldogs to their first ever Women's College World Series appearance in school history. During Game 9 of the WCWS against Michigan, Hesson was one of 3 Bulldogs to hit a home run, for a total of 4, a WCWS record. [4] As a junior in 2010, she batted .321 with a .632 SLG, 13 home runs, and 58 RBIs, while also being named to the SEC All-Defensive team. [5] One of the highlights of her junior year included a 8 RBI weekend in a three-game sweep of No. 2 Florida, culminating in her awarding of the USA Softball collegiate player of the week. [6] Hesson's single in the second round of the 2010 Women's College World Series, would help the Bulldogs eliminate rival Florida, and propelled them into the semifinal round. [7] As a senior in 2011, she batted .335 while posting career highs with 15 home runs and 64 RBI. She was once again named to the Second Team All-SEC and the All-SEC Defensive team. [8]

Following the conclusion of her collegiate career, Hesson signed with the NPF Diamonds of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). On June 9, 2011, she made her debut at Firestone Stadium, going 1-for-2 with an RBI. [9] Hesson hit her first NPF home run on June 12, off Akron Racers' Morgan Childers. Her second home run came two days later at Fortune Road Athletic Complex against the Racers off Lisa Norris. Hesson finished her rookie season with a .181 batting average, two home runs, 6 RBIs, and 7 walks. On February 29, 2012, Hesson signed with the Akron Racers as a free agent. [10] Hesson earned a regular role with the Racers, playing both first base and right field. On July 24, 2012, she posted a career high in home runs (2), RBI (4) and TB (8), during a 5–3 victory over the Brakettes. [11] Finishing the regular season with a .293 average, 5 home runs, and 20 RBIs, [12] the Racers came in last place in the NPF, but earned their fourth consecutive appearance in the postseason. The Racers were defeated by the USSSA Pride in the NPF Semifinals, with Hesson batting .250 in the series without a home run or an RBI. She returned to the Racers in 2013, appearing in 19 games, with a .214 average, 0 home runs, and 3 RBI.

Career statistics

YearAgeTeamGPAABRH2B3BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPSTB
201122 NPF Diamonds 36112105101920260733.181.232.257.48927
201223 Akron Racers 411149916297152001523.293.386.535.92153
201324 Akron Racers 19595651230030315.214.254.268.52218
Career96285260316012172902571.231.298.365.66398

[12]

Coaching career

Hesson began her coaching career from 2013 to 2016 as a graduate assistant for the Auburn Tigers. [13] During her final season, the Tigers clinched their first ever Women's College World Series, finishing as the national runner up. In the fall of 2016, she joined the coaching staff of the IUPUI Jaguars as an assistant. [14] The Jaguars completed the regular season as Summit League champions, but were upset in the conference tournament. The following season, she joined the Louisville Cardinals as a volunteer assistant. [15] Hesson joined the Austin Peay Governors staff for the 2019 season, helping them to a third-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference. After not coaching for two seasons, Hesson returned to the Governors staff in 2022. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Pro Fastpitch</span> American professional womens softball league

National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup.

Jenny Louise Topping is an American, former collegiate four-time first team All-American, medal winning Olympian, retired professional All-Star softball player. Topping played college softball at Washington and Cal State Fullerton primarily as a catcher. She is best known for being a member of the United States women's national softball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics that won a gold medal. She also played professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch for the Akron Racers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Watley</span> American softball player

Natasha Renee Watley is an American, former collegiate four-time first-team All-American, two-time medal winning Olympian, retired seven-time pro-All-Star softball player. Watley played college softball at UCLA, and helped the Bruins win a national championship. She represented the United States women's national softball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She won a gold medal, and again at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and won a silver medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caitlin Lowe</span> Softball player

Caitlin Faith Lowe-Nagy is the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats softball team. Lowe is a former collegiate four-time first team All-American and medal winning Olympian. She played college softball for Arizona and led her team in back-to-back Women's College World Series championships in 2006 and 2007. She won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Lowe played with National Pro Fastpitch's USSSA Pride for six seasons, winning three titles and being named 2012 Player of the Year, before officially retiring in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Kretschman</span> Baseball player

Kelly Sue Kretschman is an American former nine-time professional All-Star softball outfielder and current head coach for the USSSA Pride of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). Kretschman played college softball at Alabama where she is the career leader in doubles and total bases. As a member of the United States women's national softball team, she won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She also played in the National Pro Fastpitch with four teams including her longest tenure with the USSSA Pride; where she is the all-time career leader in RBIs, hits, doubles and base on balls. She also owns numerous records for the Tide and is one of select NCAA Division I players to bat .400 with 300 hits, 200 runs and 100 stolen bases for her career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Morgan (softball)</span> American softball coach

Charlotte Lee Morgan is an American former professional softball pitcher and current head coach for Cal State Northridge. She played college softball for Alabama from 2007 to 2010, where she is the career leader for the school in RBIs, also ranking top-15 in the NCAA Division I. She was also named a four-time all-conference honoree and twice named SEC Player of the Year. Morgan was the No. 1 draft pick in the 2010 National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft, beginning her career with The USSSA Pride based in Kissimmee, Florida, winning a title in 2010. In 2020, Morgan was named the head coach of the California State University, Northridge softball team after previously working at several colleges as a pitching coach.

Sarah Jo Pauly is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired 7-time professional All-Star, right-handed softball pitcher and coach originally from Phoenix, Arizona. She played college softball at Texas A&M–Corpus Christi from 2002-2005 and owns virtually all the pitching records. She is the Big South Conference career strikeouts, ERA, shutouts, WHIP, strikeout ratio, no-hitters (9) and perfect games (2) leader in just three seasons. She joined the National Pro Fastpitch in 2006 and as a rookie earned Pitcher of The Year and currently holds NPF records for the most innings pitched, games played and games started through her 11 seasons as arguably the most successful undrafted player in league history. She is one of five NCAA Division I pitchers to win 100 games, strikeout 1,000 batters, maintain a sub-1.00 ERA and average double digit strikeouts for her entire career.

Kaitlin Elizabeth Cochran is an American, former collegiate four-time first team All-American, retired softball player. She attended Rosary High School and Arizona State University from 2006 to 2009, where she won the 2008 Women's College World Series title. Also with United States women's national softball team, she won four World Cup of Softball crowns. She holds various records for the Sun Devils in the Pac-12 Conference. She was drafted first overall in the National Pro Fastpitch but elected not to play. She is also one of nine NCAA Division I players to bat .400 with 200 RBIs, 50 home runs and an .800 slugging percentage for a career.

Amber Jackson is an African-American, former collegiate All-American and retired professional softball player and former college softball head coach. She played for three years with the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats, from 2003 to 2005, before transferring to the Maryland Terrapins for the 2007 season. She is the season and career leader in numerous offense categories for both institutions, and is the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference career leader in hits, triples and runs in three seasons.

Jessica Merchant is an American softball coach and former softball player. She is currently the associate head coach of the Stanford Cardinal softball team. She previously served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and UMass Minutewomen. She played professional softball in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league for the New England Riptide for three seasons, and for the Connecticut Brakettes for one season. While playing for the Brakettes in 2006, she was named NPF Offensive Player of the Year.

The 2007 National Pro Fastpitch season was the fourth season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.

The 2006 National Pro Fastpitch season was the third season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.

The 2000 Women's Professional Softball League season was the fourth season of professional women's fastpitch softball for the league named Women's Professional Softball League (WPSL). It was the WPSL's final season until the league relaunched in 2004 under the name National Pro Fastpitch. In 1997 and 1998, WPSL operated under the name Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF).

The 2006 NPF Senior Draft is the third annual NPF Draft. It was held February 15, 2006 to assign division I college players to pro teams for 2006 season. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended. The first selection was Texas's Cat Osterman, picked by the Connecticut Brakettes. Osterman chose not to sign with the Brakettes. The Brakettes' rights to her expired after the 2006, after which she signed with the Rockford Thunder.

Lauren Elizabeth Anna Haeger is a professional softball pitcher and first baseman with the Dallas Charge of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF). After being named a member of the 2011 MaxPreps Softball All-American Team and earning a gold medal at the III Pan American (18-under) Games in 2010, Haegar played softball at the University of Florida.

Iyhia McMichael is an African-American, former collegiate All-American, professional 3-time All-Star, right-handed hitting softball player, originally from Nacogdoches, Texas. She was a outfielder for the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Southeastern Conference from 2001 to 2004, ranking in several school and conference records. She would go on to be named a 4-time all-conference honoree and back-to-back SEC Player of the Year in 2003–04. She also ranks top-15 all time in the NCAA Division I for her career triples. She was later drafted No. 1 overall in the National Pro Fastpitch and played for the defunct Akron Racers from 2004 to 2007, including being named the league's first Player of The Year and winning a title in 2005; McMichael ranks top-10 for career batting average for the league. McMichael has also coached at the college level.

Amanda Lorenz is an American professional softball player and member of the United States women's national softball team. She played college softball at Florida, where she was named NFCA National Freshman of the Year in 2016. Following her college career, she played professionally for USSSA Pride. She most recently played in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball league where she won the 2024 championship as the top individual points leader.

Brittany Marya Cervantes is an American softball catcher and coach of Mexican descent, and is currently the director of softball operations for Kentucky. She represented Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Amanda Sánchez is an American softball player of Mexican descent and member of the Mexico women's national softball team. She represented Team Mexico at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skylar Wallace</span> American softball player

Maelynn Skylar Wallace is an American professional softball player for the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball. She played college softball at Alabama and Florida. She was named the NFCA National Player of the Year in 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "North to honor latest athletic hall of famers". www.gwinnettprepsports.com. Gwinnett Prep Sports. January 2, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ "2010 Georgia Bulldogs Softball Media Guide". www.georgiadogs.com. University of Georgia Athletics. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Six Bulldogs Earn All-SEC Softball Honors". www.georgiadogs.com. University of Georgia Athletics. May 6, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  4. ↑ "WCWS SINGLE-GAME RECORDS" (PDF). www.fs.ncaa.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Shortridge, Fico and Mitchell Headline Softball's All-SEC Awards". www.wafb.com. A Gray Media Group, Inc. Station. May 13, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Georgia's Brianna Hesson Named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week". www.teamusa.org. United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. March 29, 2011. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Georgia eliminates Florida from Women's College World Series". jacksonville.com. Associated Press. June 5, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  8. ↑ "UF softball team receives SEC honors". www.gainesville.com. The Gainesville Sun. May 11, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "NPF Diamonds vs Akron Racers: 4-3". www.pointstreak.com. Pointstreak Sports Technologies Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Akron Racers Sign Brianna Hesson in Free Agency". oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Brakettes' Record Win Streak Ends in Akron". www.brakettes.com. July 24, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  12. 1 2 "#32 Brianna Hesson - Profile". www.pointstreak.com. Pointstreak Sports Technologies Inc. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ "North's Hesson hired by Auburn softball". www.gwinnettprepsports.com. Gwinnet Prep Sports. August 16, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Softball Adds Brianna Hesson To Coaching Staff". iupuijags.com. IUPUI. November 11, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  15. ↑ "2018 Louisville Cardinals Softball Record Book" (PDF). www.s3.amazonaws.com. Amazon. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Austin Peay State University Softball adds Breanna Hesson, Karavin Dew to coaching staff". www.clarksvilleonline.com. Clarksville Online. August 28, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.