Breanne Berger, a former standout at the University of Florida, joined the Butler softball staff as an assistant coach Jan. 23. Berger has ties to the area as a star prep player at nearby Carmel High School and as a youth travel team coach. Berger will assist with all facets of the Butler program.

 

Berger currently serves as the Director of Softball Operations at the RoundTripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind., just north of Indianapolis. There, she manages all administrative functions of the daily softball operation and works extensively with select travel softball teams during the off-season, overseeing personal instruction of players. Berger started the Elite Softball Program, which saw four players go on to play Division I and II softball in its inaugural season.

 

"Breanne brings a great knowledge of the game with her to Butler," said Butler head coach Angie Nicholson. "She's young, but experienced and knows the game as it is played today. I trust her to teach and develop our players. She's enthusiastic about joining us at Butler and we're excited to have her."

She also served as an assistant coach with the Indiana Twisters "A" 18u Travel Team last season. Berger handled the pitchers and catchers and served as the team's primary hitting coach. The team posted a regular season record of 36-4 on its way to a berth in the Amateur Softball Association "A" National Championship by winning the Indiana title. The Twisters registered a team ERA of 1.40 and a .314 team batting average. All eight players from the team who graduated high school in 2005 are currently playing collegiate softball, including Macy McMullen at Butler.

 

Berger was a three-year letterwinner at the University of Florida (2000-02), where she holds the single-game hits record (five) and ranks among the school's Top Ten career leaders in slugging percentage (.359), on-base percentage (.327), at-bats (396), home runs (eight), RBI (57) and putouts (274). Her career fielding percentage (.984) is the fourth-highest mark in school history. Berger, a former catcher, was also the MVP of the 2001 Georgia Southern Invitational.

 

A graduate of Carmel High School, just north of Indianapolis, Berger was a Miss Softball candidate. She was named All-Mid Indiana Conference and first-team All-Hamilton County, in addition to spots on the first-team All-District and the Indiana Super teams. Berger led the Greyhounds to a state runner-up finish in 1997 after an undefeated regular season.

 

Berger earned a B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation from Florida in 2003.