Bio

The 2026 season marked another milestone for the program as SMC finished 29-18 overall, recording the best start in school history with eight consecutive victories and wins in 12 of its first 13 games. The Pioneers outscored their opponents 210-150 while posting a .280 team batting average with five players hitting over .300. In the circle, SMC pitchers combined for 187 strikeouts and nine shutouts.

Junior Bailey Kiser earned First Team All-Appalachian Athletic Conference honors after leading the conference with 16 victories, ranking second with 126 strikeouts, and finishing fourth with a 1.75 ERA. Senior Gracie Starnes was named Second Team All-AAC after batting .372 while leading the team in hits (45), RBIs (27), runs scored (32), and stolen bases (30). The Pioneers also continued their success in the classroom, placing 14 student-athletes on the Academic All-AAC Team, including nine NAIA Scholar-Athletes and five College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selections.

In SMC's inaugural NAIA season in 2025, three Pioneers earned Continental Athletic Conference All-Conference honors, led by First Team selection Lydia Faulk, while Kyla Quiles and Adriana Stump-Frias were named to the Second Team. The program also excelled academically, with four student-athletes earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors and NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete recognition. Additionally, 14 players were named to the Spring 2025 Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

Braxton's first season at the helm in 2024 saw Bailey Kiser earn Region 10 Pitcher of the Year honors, while Maddie Handy was named First Team All-Region. 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 student-athlete, she helped lead the program to the 2009 Region 10 Championship and an appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament. She later returned to the program after serving as an assistant softball coach at Belmont Abbey College for six years and founding Powerhouse Athletics, a softball and baseball training organization based in Columbia, South Carolina.

Drawing on her experiences as both a former Pioneer and coach, Braxton is committed to developing well-rounded student-athletes who excel in competition, the classroom, and the community while continuing to elevate the Spartanburg Methodist College softball program.