Kae Lani Bryan, a native of Picher, Okla., enters her first season as the Head Softball Coach at Midwestern State University.
Bryan, who joins the Mustangs after a 7 year stint at Fort Scott Community College as the longest tenure coach in school history. In her first season, she took over the Greyhound softball program with just eight players. After finishing with a 13-33 season, Bryan recruited a large freshman class to come in the following year. The 2019-2020 season the greyhounds started out strong with a 5-7 record only to be cut short due to Covid-19. In the Post-Covid 2020-2021 season, the greyhounds finished the year 5-41. Coming off a tough previous season, the greyhounds finished the following 2021-2022 season, 12-32 just missing post season play. In the 2022-2023 season, Bryan had one of her most successful seasons since at FSCC. The greyhounds finished 30-18 overall with a Top five finish in the conference, as well as a post season bid for the first time in 14 years. The team set numerous records in many individual and team categories. (138) Team stolen bases, 13 game winning streak, National ranking (1st in program history), (30 wins) 2nd highest in program history and most importantly the Greyhounds finished the year with a 3.64 Team GPA tied for 17th in the NJCAA. Bryan has coached one NJCAA American , numerous Academic All-Americans, All-Conference players and All-Region players during her tenure at FSCC.
In the 2023-24 campaign, Bryan led the greyhounds to the most successful season in program history. Under Bryan’s leadership, the greyhounds finished with an overall record of 40-19, finishing 4th in the KJCCC. After an undefeated run of 4-0 at the Region 6 tournament, Fort Scott punched their ticket to a first ever trip to the NJCAA Division II World Series in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Bryan was named Region 6 District Coach of the year. On April 24, 2024, the greyhounds swept Cloud County securing back to back 30 win seasons. On May 4th, 2024, Bryan, earned her 100th career win against KCK at home naming her the winningest coach at FSCC. The 2024 team set numerous records in many categories including:
Most wins in school history (40)
Most home runs in school history (67)
Pre season ranked (first ever in program history)
#16 ranked (highest in school history)
Highest slugging % in school history
Most runs scored in school history (393)
Most RBI’s in school history (348)
Fielding % .951 (highest in school history)
Putouts (TEAM) 1165
Pitching-(TEAM) 338 K’s
Coach Bryan started her coaching career at Labette Community College, where she served as assistant coach under Ryan Phillips from 2012-2017. Bryan was a mainstay with the Lady Cardinals for six seasons, primarily working with middle infielders and outfielders while specializing in slapping. Bryan also flourished as the lead recruiter for Labette and coached 20 All-KJCCC/All-Region players, four NFCA All-Americans and two NJCAA All-Americans.
During her time at Labette, she helped guide the Lady Cardinals to an overall record of 136-74 (.647) and back-to-back NJCAA Division II national tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. Labette finished in fifth place in both those appearances at nationals, which are program highs. Labette broke school records for stolen bases, strikeouts, runs scored, and paced the nation with individual players leading the NJCAA in major categories. Included in that group is MSU Assistant Softball Coach Katy Taylor. Taylor, an Owasso, Oklahoma native was recruited by Bryan to Labette in 2015, she set the NJCAA Division II record for stolen bases in a single season (89), was a 1st Team NJCAA All-American and continued her collegiate career at The University of Iowa and Rogers State University.
Bryan played collegiately at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami, Okla. from 2006-07 under NJCAA Hall of Fame coach Eric Iverson. The Lady Norse made two consecutive appearances at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, including a fourth place finish in 2007. In the same season, NEO set a school record with 29 consecutive wins and finished with an overall record of 53-8. Bryan finished her career with a record of 87-21.
Bryan earned a bachelor's degree in education at Pittsburg State University in December of 2016. She resides in Wichita Falls, TX.
