Bio

Kimberly Braxton is in her third season as the head softball coach at Spartanburg Methodist College.

In the program’s first season competing in NAIA play in 2025, Braxton led the Pioneers to a 23-17 overall record, including a strong 12-6 mark at home. The team narrowly missed a berth in the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) Tournament but showcased a powerful offense, hitting 11 home runs, 34 doubles, and 11 triples while posting a .283 team batting average. In the circle, SMC pitchers compiled a 3.00 ERA and recorded 156 strikeouts.

Three Pioneers earned CAC All-Conference honors: Lydia Faulk (first team), Kyla Quiles, and Adriana Stump-Frias (second team). The team also excelled in the classroom, with four players named to the CSC Academic All-District Team and the NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete list, along with 14 student-athletes earning spots on the Spring 2025 Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

In 2024, under Braxton’s leadership, Bailey Kiser was named Region 10 Pitcher of the Year, while Maddie Handy earned first-team all-region honors. Lydia Faulk and Jacie Ross were both selected to the Region 10 All-Tournament Team.

Braxton is no stranger to Spartanburg Methodist. As a former Pioneer, she helped lead the team to the 2009 Region 10 Championship and an NJCAA National Tournament appearance. She later returned to coaching after building her own softball and baseball training business, Powerhouse Athletics, based in Columbia, S.C.

Prior to founding her business, Braxton served as head softball coach at Woodland High School (2018–20) and as an assistant coach at Belmont Abbey College (2014–18).

She holds an Associate in Arts from Spartanburg Methodist College and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of South Carolina.