PEORIA, Ill. -- Seventh-year Bradley softball head coach Amy Hayes has announced Chris Malveaux has been promoted to Associate Head Coach after helping turn the Braves into one of the top hitting teams in the Missouri Valley Conference during his three years as an assistant on The Hilltop.
Malveaux joined the Bradley coaching staff in July 2011 and is in his fourth season. This past spring, the Braves boasted the team's highest batting average (.285) since 1995 and scored a season-record 261 runs. Bradley also shattered the season home run record of 26 set in 2006 with 41 dingers. The 2014 season, which included a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance, included school records in RBI (237), total bases (635), slugging percentage (.410) and walks (171).
The offensive explosion helped power the Braves to a school-record 15 Missouri Valley Conference victories (15-12) and a fourth-place league finish for the team's best showing since 1994. For the first time in school history, seven or more players had three or more home runs during the recently completed 2014 campaign.
“In his three years on the Hilltop Coach Malveaux's approach has developed our hitters into well-rounded offensive threats,” Hayes said. “His guidance has led Bradley softball to some of the best offensive performances in school history and he is more than deserving of this title change. I am excited to see how players continue to develop when they have a full four years to work with Coach Malveaux and for him to continue to be a big part of the success of our program.”
The impressive offensive numbers last spring were a continuation of the progress made in 2013. Among the many highlights of Malveaux's second season (2013) on The Hilltop was a .283 batting average and the squad's second highest runs per game average (4.0) in school history. Bradley's 88 extra-base hits were the most since a program record 103 in 1995 and the .354 on base percentage was second behind the 1994 team's school record .365 on base percentage.
In 2012, Bradley drew 2.47 walks per game and the squad's .322 on base percentage was the team's best season total since 1996. Individually, former Brave Bailiegh Basham set school season records for walks (36), hit by pitch (12) and on base percentage (.480). Basham's .480 on base percentage broke the previous school season record of .474 set by Jen Wethington in 1993.
Malveaux came to Bradley after serving as assistant coach at Sun Belt Conference power Louisiana-Lafayette from 2009-11, where he helped the Ragin' Cajuns to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, a 2010 NCAA Super Regional appearance and a 141-42 (.770) combined record.
Prior to his stint in Lafayette, La., Malveaux was head coach at McNeese State for four seasons (2005-08) and led the Cowgirls' to one NCAA Tournament. A 2001 Texas A&M graduate, Malveaux was an assistant coach for three seasons (2002-04) at McNeese State before taking over the head coaching duties.
