When the softball team swept Siena in a doubleheader on April 5, Head Coach Julie Brzezinski celebrated the team’s win in the first games of the MAAC season.

Little did she know, that day was more than just another victory for the Stags; Brzezinski had reached her 300th win as a Fairfield coach.

‘I didn’t even realize,’ said Brzezinski, noting that she was later informed by the sports information department.

Now in her 11th year with Fairfield, Brzezinski is the winningest coach in Fairfield softball history, according to a University press release.

Senior Breanne Morschauser said that she thought it was a really great accomplishment for Brzezinski.

‘To be with the same school for eleven years is hard enough,’ said Morschauser. ‘For her to win 300 games in one place is really great.’

Brzezinski, though, was quick to deflect credit.

‘I think it has to do with the student athletes and their commitment to the softball program and the administration’s commitment to the program,’ said Brzezinski.

She also said that the administration’s support for recruiting has helped get the team to this point.

300 wins is just a drop in the bucket for Brzezinski, who has won over 600 games since she began coaching at Campbell University 19 years ago.

Brzezinski’s first win with the Stags was on Feb. 28, 1990 against University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

Brzezinski said that she was 22-years-old when she first started to coach and often worked with players who were nearly her own age.

‘The game was a lot different back then,’ said Brzezinski.

‘Over the years, softball has become much more aggressive and focused on the offensive side of the game,’ said Brzezinski.

People like to see people running around the bases and scoring runs,’ she added.

When she joined the Fairfield staff, Brzezinski said that Fairfield was one of the ‘up-and-coming’ teams in the conference in that the team had talent, but was not prepared to compete against the top teams in the MAAC.

Brzezinski’s initial solution for this was to schedule games with talented out-of-conference teams to challenge the Stags to work harder.

Today, the teams that currently comprise the MAAC are much more equal in ability than they were when she began her tenure at Fairfield.

In addition, only the team that finish in the top four of the regular season standings advance to the MAAC tournament.
‘We have to show up every day and play hard and play well,’ said Brzezinski,
However, with Brzezinski leading the way, the team is more than comfortable with its postseason chances this season and in the future.

‘300 wins just shows the kind of coach she is,’ said Morschauser.

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