Former McNeese State head coach and Louisiana-Lafayette assistant coach Chris Malveaux joined the Bradley softball coaching staff in July 2011 and is entering his fifth season at BU. Malveaux, who has promoted to Associate Head Coach following the 2014 season, was head coach at McNeese State for four years and spent three seasons as assistant coach at Louisiana-Lafayette prior to coming to The Hilltop.
The team's hitting coach, Malveaux had an immediate impact on the Braves' offense in his first four seasons as the squad has set numerous offensive records during his tenure. Most recently, the 2015 team posted a .297 average for the highest team average since the 1994 squad owned a school-record .306 average. Bradley also broke the school record for hit by pitch (36) and on base percentage (.374) while scoring a school record 4.78 runs per game this past spring.
In 2014, the Braves scored a school record 261 runs and also set school season records for home runs (41), RBI (237), total bases (635), slugging percentage (.410) and walks (171).
Individually, sophomore Kelly Kapp set the school record for hits (76) and became just the second player in league history with 75 hits and 30 or more steals in a season in 2015. Her .386 batting average was sixth in Bradley history and best by a Brave since 1995. A pair of freshmen also turned in strong performances in 2015. Freshman outfielder Erika Hansen became the first player in league history with 55 hits, 30 runs, 20 doubles, 40 RBI and 30 or more walks, while earning Third-Team NFCA All-Mideast Region and First-Team All-MVC honors. Fellow freshman Maria Schroeder scored a freshman record 38 runs and drove in 34 runs of her own. In addition, Shannon King wrapped up her career among the top 10 in school history in hits, home runs and RBI as Bradley finished in the top five in the league in back-to-back years for the first time since 1994 & 1995.
The 2014 season saw Malveaux help 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. Bradley went on to win the MVC Tournament title and made the second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2014. For the first time in school history, seven or more players had three or more home runs.
The impressive offensive numbers in 2014 were a continuation of the progress made in 2013. Among the many highlights of Malveaux’s second season (2013) on The Hilltop were the team’s highest batting average (.283) since 1995 and the squad’s second highest run per game average (4.0) in school history. Bradley’s 88 extra-base hits were the most since a then program record 103 in 1995.
Helping highlight the offensive exploits was Bailiegh Basham who ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a .381 batting average in addition to breaking her own school record on base percentage (.532). Basham took home Second-Team All-MVC honors, despite missing 40 percent of the Valley regular-season schedule due to an injury. In addition, Madeline Lynch-Crumrine was a second-team all-conference pick and became the first two-time all-region pick in school history.
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, 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.
In addition to Basham's accomplishments, Lynch-Crumrine earned First-Team All-Region honors and was a repeat First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference pick after leading the team in with a .299 batting average.
Prior to coming to Bradley, Malveaux helped Louisiana-Lafayette to three consecutive Sun Belt Conference regular-season and tournament titles in addition to three NCAA Tournament appearances during the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. The Ragin' Cajuns, which advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2010 and finished each of his three years ranked in the national polls, combined for a 141-42 (.770) record during his time in Lafayette, La., including a 61-16 (.792) mark in league play.
The Louisiana-Lafayette coaching staff was selected as the NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2010 and the team averaged 57 home runs per season in his three years. The Ragin' Cajuns also boasted three All-Americans, two Sun Belt Conference Players of the Year, two conference pitchers of the Year, 12 first-team all-conference performers and seven second-team all-league selections in his three seasons. Malveaux joined the Cajuns coaching staff in 2009 as a volunteer assistant and was elevated to assistant coach for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Prior to Louisiana-Lafayette, Malveaux was head coach at McNeese State for four years (2005-08). He guided the Cowgirls' to the Southland Conference Tournament title and just the second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history in his first season. McNeese State produced 14 all-conference selections, including six first-team picks, during his four years as head coach, a Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year and two conference Utility Players of the Year.
During his time in Lake Charles, La., McNeese State belted a school season record 60 home runs in 2005 and also set the Southland Conference season record for doubles with 105.
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. He was a student equipment manager for the softball team at Texas A&M as an undergraduate and also coached the 18-and-under Texas Comets while in College Station, Texas.
Malveaux married former Bradley Softball standout Kate Singler, who is currently an assistant coach at New Mexico State, in December 2014.