Jeff Breeden is entering his 14th season as Head Softball Coach at Middle Tennessee in 2025-2026 and has seen improvement in his team in each of the 13 previous years. Breeden was named NFCA 2023 Mideast Regional Coach of the Year and is the winningest coach in program history with 297 wins.

The 2025 season featured the first Conference USA Freshman of the Year in program history, two First Team All-Conference, one Second Team All-Conference and three All-Freshman Team honors for the Blue Raiders. A highlight of the season included an upset victory over No. 19 ranked Mississippi State in Starkville, the first win against Mississippi State in 20 years.

MTSU finished at 42-20 overall in 2023, including an 16-11 mark in Conference USA play, leading the Blue Raiders to their second C-USA title in program history where the Blue Raiders were picked eighth in the preseason rankings. Breeden’s 2023 team set a program record with 42 wins; including a win over No. 5 ranked Alabama in the NCAA Regional. The second NCAA Regional appearance and first three wins for Breeden.

The 2021 season kicked off with a ribbon cutting for the new upgrades to Blue Raider Softball Field, and the campaign featured the program’s first scheduled three-game series vs. a Power 5 team at home, a 3-1 home series win over Western Kentucky, which entered that week receiving votes in national polls, and a 13-inning 1-0 victory over FIU that tied for the longest game in program history.

MTSU was invited to the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) for its second consecutive postseason appearance. The 2018-19 stretch was the first time in program history that the Blue Raiders participated in back-to-back postseason tournaments.

After being predicted to finish 11th in Conference USA in the 2018 preseason, Middle Tennessee captured its first C-USA Tournament title as the six seed en route to MT’s second NCAA regional appearance ever. The blue and white concluded the season with a 39-22 record, the second-most single-season wins in program history. Middle was the lowest seed to advance to a C-USA title game since 2009 and the lowest seed to ever claim a league championship.

The win was MTSU's second conference championship in program history, with the other coming in 2000 when the program competed in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The biggest jump in progress was the 2015 campaign, which saw several entries into the team record books for hitting categories. The 2015 squad ranked first in school history in on-base percentage (.372), second in batting average (.297), second in walks (143), third in RBIs (219), fourth in runs scored (235), fourth in slugging percentage (.401), fifth in triples (10), and sixth in stolen bases (70).

In his 13 seasons with the Blue Raiders to date, Breeden has also coached 13 All-Conference USA First Teamers, 12 Second Teamers and 12 players on the Freshman Team, including the 2025 Conference USA Freshman of the Year.

Breeden’s student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom at Middle Tennessee. He has coached 61 NFCA All-Academic Scholars, 202 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll (3.0-4.0 GPA), 68 C-USA Academic Medal (3.75-4.0 GPA), 7 Sun Belt Academic Honor Roll (3.0-3.5 GPA), and 7 Sun Belt Commissioner’s List (3.5-4.0 GPA). Also, the Blue Raiders were an NFCA Academic Team in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, the list of 20 C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and 8 C-USA Academic Medalists were both program records.

Breeden was a proven leader and winner prior to Middle Tennessee, compiling a 764-188-3 record in 22 seasons as a head softball coach in the Tennessee high school ranks. He ranks 17th in all-time wins in the National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS) record books.

At Riverdale High School, Breeden amassed a 423-67-3 record from 2004-2012. His tenure with the Warriors also included the 2009 state championship season and a rise to as high as fourth in the national rankings during the 2011 season. Riverdale also won the District 7-3A title each of his seasons as head coach as well as 3 Region 4-3A titles, leading to four state tournament appearances.

The Daily News Journal selected Breeden as Coach of the Year all nine years (2004-12) he was at Riverdale and at least one of his players in each of his nine years has earned a Division I scholarship to continue her playing career. He supervised plans and construction of a new press box, concessions, field, dugouts and indoor facility at Riverdale with a total fundraising budget of approximately $92,000 annually.

The Warriors also set a NFHS softball national record from Breeden’s tenure for most team shutouts in a season (38 in 2007), topping the previous standard established by the school a year earlier by one.

One of Breeden’s high school pitchers, Cathleen Hosfield, set the NFHS mark for single-season strikeouts with 659 in 2007. Hosfield also moved into third in single-season wins (44) and fourth in shutouts (31) the same year.

Breeden also ran annual softball camps at Riverdale that attracted 50-85 campers each year during his tenure.

In 2011-12, Breeden served as the Director of the Middle Tennessee Softball Coaches Association and was the organization’s Assistant Director in 2009-10. He coached in the Tennessee/Kentucky All-Star Series in 2007 and was a part of the coaching staff at the Middle Tennessee North/South All-Star Game in 2003.

Breeden has also coached the summer travel ball Murfreesboro Firebirds. He guided the team to the 2008 USFA 18 Gold World Series championship.

In addition to his softball duties, Breeden served as the school’s defensive line coach on the football staff. He coached the 2008 Mr. Football winner, LaDarius Verge, and a 2006 Mr. Football finalist, Eugene Goree. The Warriors captured the 2004 5A state crown and were state runner-up in 2003 and 2005 with him as a member of the staff.

Breeden served in the classroom at Riverdale as well, teaching physical science, biology and driver education since arriving in 2003.

Prior to coming to Murfreesboro, he was the head softball and football coach at Coffee County Central High School in Manchester, Tennessee in addition to his teaching duties for biology and physical science classes.

As the Red Raiders softball coach, he guided the program to a 341-121 record from 1990-2003 with two state tournament appearances, one of which resulted in a third-place finish. The team won six District 8-3A titles and four Region 4-3A championships, while collecting two TSSAA Sectional crowns and sending 31 players from Coffee County collegiate softball scholarships.

He also supervised the construction of the field and stadium, organized the first softball booster organization and the first summer league fast pitch program in Coffee County. Additionally, Breeden became the first high school coach added to the Worth Advisory Committee for fast pitch softball and coached at all levels of summer leagues, from local to national, in ASA and NSA.

Breeden started at Coffee County as an assistant football coach from 1990-97, working with offensive and defensive lines, before taking over the head coach responsibilities in 1998. He also organized reinstatement of the freshman football program and increased participation from 26 to 81 players.

Breeden started his teaching and coaching career in 1989 at Morristown Hamblen High School East in Morristown, Tenn. There he was the freshman football coach and a physical science/biology teacher.

Breeden graduated from ETSU in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in education science. He is originally from Sweetwater, Tenn.

Name	Title	Phone	Email Address	Twitter
Jeff Breeden	Head Softball Coach	898-5018	jeff.breeden@mtsu.edu	@JBMTSUSoftball
Bryce Brentz	Assistant Softball Coach	(865) 806-2744	Bryce.Brentz@mtsu.edu
Gretchen Mead	Assistant Softball Coach		gretchen.mead@mtsu.edu

Name	Title	Email Address
Olivia King	Manager
Patrick Langford	Manager
Hope Walker	Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer	Hew4s@mtmail.mtsu.edu

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