Chelsea Bramlett will enter her fifth full season as the head softball coach at Northwest in Spring 2024, her sixth total season since being hired in August 2019.
In her six overall seasons, Bramlett has transformed the trajectory of the Northwest softball program. The former Mississippi State and Team USA standout has collected a career coaching record of 126-70, with a 69-45 record in conference play.
Last season, Northwest finished 27-20 overall and battled through a 13-15 mark in conference play. Despite the Rangers' struggles, the program still went 10-7 against nationally-ranked opponents through the regular season, a stretch that included sweeps against NJCAA Division II Tournament teams Des Moines Area and Kirkwood, with other wins against Jones College, Pearl River, Spoon River College and South Suburban College.
Bramlett's squad still made the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament last season, marking the program's fourth straight appearance in the postseason. Northwest earned a victory on the road at Mississippi Gulf Coast to make the Ellisville bracket, before falling to host Jones College and a close one-run loss to Pearl River.
Three members of the 2024 team signed with four-year programs, highlighted by infielder Kara Johnson (UT Martin). The Senatobia native became Bramlett's third Division I signee in as many seasons. Additionally, outfielder Madeline Houk signed with the University of Mobile and pitcher Neely Cooper signed with Blue Mountain Christian University.
In 2023, Bramlett's group finished 32-11 overall and 20-8 in the MACCC, marking back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time in program history. The Rangers' 20-8 conference record was also the best mark since the 2009 season, when Northwest achieved a 21-3 mark.
Additionally, the 2023 squad remained in the NJCAA Division II national rankings all year, peaking at No. 2 in the nation midway through the regular season. The Rangers ultimately fell in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament in an extra-innings battle to Pearl River, another team that finished the regular season ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
Four members of the 2023 Rangers' squad signed to play at the four-year level, including MACCC Player of the Year, McKaylee Polk. The Senatobia native signed with Memphis and shattered nearly every offensive record in both single-season and career categories, including a sophomore campaign that featured a .554 batting average with 24 home runs, a 1.339 slugging percentage, a .647 on-base percentage and 27 walks, all of which became new single-season records.
Pitcher Gabby Dickerson (Christian Brothers University) also shattered the record books for career strikeouts (376), wins (41), innings pitched (319.1) and appearances (63). Her 2023 season resulted in 137 strikeouts issued and a 15-4 record in the circle, including four games with 10 or more strikeouts.
Additionally, pitcher Kylee Brown and pitcher/infielder Allyson Harrison signed with Freed-Hardeman University and Delta State University, respectively.
Bramlett guided the Rangers to new heights in 2022, garnering the program's best record (39-15), first NJCAA Region 23 title and the first trip to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, where the Rangers finished as one of the final four teams remaining in a 16-team field.
Prior to the team's run through the national tournament, Bramlett was named the NJCAA Gulf A District Coach of the Year, her first national coaching award since taking over the Northwest program.
Bramlett's 2022 squad matched or surpassed every previous record. The Rangers finished the season with a .333 team batting average and single-season records for runs scored (402), hits (517), doubles (98), home runs (60), runs batted in (356), total bases (823), walks (155), sacrifice flies (22) and highest strikeouts (385).
Two-time All-American Saige Koczka led the team with a .433 batting average and left Northwest with career records in at-bats (350), hits (161), doubles (37), triples (6), home runs (26), runs batted in (122), total bases (288), walks (43) and a whopping .823 career slugging percentage.
Other standout members of Bramlett's 2022 squad include Laila Armstrong, who set the program's new single-season and career records for stolen bases. The Tennessee State signee also won the NFCA/New Balance Golden Shoe Award as the stolen base leader in the NJCAA Division II ranks. (Bramlett also won the same award in 2009 and 2010 at Mississippi State.)
Six members of the 2022 squad finished in the program's career home run list. Polk topped the record books in first and third place, with Koczka's 26 good for second, followed by 15 from Kaitlyn Bednarek and Molly Harris, and 12 apiece from Maddie Brower and Caylee Comer.
In the circle, Bramlett relied heavily on Dickerson, who finished the 2022 season with the Rangers' new single-season record for strikeouts (239). The Olive Branch native also tallied a 26-9 record in the circle, tied for the most single-season victories and fourth in the career totals. She also finished with 18 complete games, eight shutouts and 203.1 innings pitched, all ranking in the top 10 of those respective categories.
The 2021 season also sparked plenty of excitement, as the Rangers finished 20-18 overall and 15-13 in MACCC competition. Northwest punched its ticket to the MACCC Tournament for the first time since 2017 and advanced to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament for the first time since the 2012 season, defeating tournament host and 15th-ranked LSU Eunice, scoring the program's first Region 23 Tournament win.
Bramlett's 2021 squad also finished the regular season as the best hitting team in the MACCC, with a batting average of .376. The Rangers shattered nearly every previous single-season hitting record, including home runs (51), hits (410), RBIs (287), doubles (83) and slugging percentage (.617).
Among those eye-popping stats were a slew of heavy hitters, most notably Koczka, who finished the season with single-season records in batting average (.489), hits (65), doubles (20), home runs (14), RBIs (59) and slugging percentage (.985). Additionally, her 14 homers also marked a new career record.
Behind Koczka, Brower, Bednarek, Harris and MyCala Helms all worked their way into the record books as well. Brower's nine home runs put her second all-time behnd Koczka, while seven home runs from Bednarek placed her third all-time. Comer and Harris finished tied for fourth with six homers apiece, while Helms shattered the program's career triples record with six, including five during the 2021 season.
Despite a shortened 2020 campaign due to COVID-19, Bramlett guided Northwest to an 8-6 record, which included a conference sweep against Pearl River and ended with a four-game winning streak. Three of her players went on to sign or commit to the next level, including Lacey Coats (Delta State), Delta Claire Newman (Millsaps College) and Madison Crosby (Mississippi University for Women).
Bramlett is a familiar name across softball circles in Mississippi and on a national scale. A native of Cordova, Tenn., she spent five successful seasons at Lewisburg High School in Olive Branch, compiling an all-time record of 116-28-3 and a stellar .799 winning percentage. Since taking over the reins of the program after the 2014 season, Bramlett guided the Lady Patriots to five playoff berths and four Region 1-5A titles, the most recent coming in 2019 while finishing 24-2 overall.
Prior to Lewisburg, Bramlett earned her first coaching stint at Briarcrest Christian School in Eads, Tenn. from 2010-14.
Bramlett became a national name in college softball during her playing career at Mississippi State from 2007-10. She remains one of only two players in Southeastern Conference history to be named All-American in all four years of her career while also garnering three-time national catcher of the year honors. Bramlett's name is scattered across the record books at MSU, still holding career records in batting average (.461), runs scored (219), hits (359) and stolen bases (207). She also holds single-season records for batting average (.536, 2010) and stolen bases (61, 2010). Her .536 average in 2010 still stands as the 10th-best season in NCAA softball history.
While in Starkville, Bramlett raked in numerous accolades from organizations and publications such as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), CoSIDA, Adidas and ESPN. She was inducted into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 and recognized as an SEC Legend the same year.
During her time with Team USA in 2009-10, Bramlett played alongside some of the most notable names in softball, including Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott. In 2009, she was selected to the United States National Team roster and helped Team USA to gold medals at the Canada Cup, World Cup of Softball and Japan Cup alongside former MSU head coach Jay Miller. She was a two-time World Cup of Softball gold medalist, hitting .500 with four runs scored in 2010. That same year, she also helped Team USA to an International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championship and batted .714 with five RBIs and five runs scored. In her two seasons, Team USA compiled a 41-2 combined record, including a perfect 22-0 mark in 2009.
Prior to her days at Mississippi State, Bramlett played for First Assembly Christian School for coach Phillip Spain and played club softball for the Memphis Fusion. At FACS, she finished her varsity career by hitting .735 (86-for-117) with 26 extra-base hits, 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. She also compiled a 19-2 record in the circle and stole 98 bases on 102 attempts, earning "Best of Preps" recognition by the Commercial Appeal.
Bramlett and her husband, Adam Hampton, celebrated their first wedding anniversary on September 8, 2023.
