test

Bio

Brandie Paul begins her 3rd season as Director of Athletics, after leading the transition from Martin Methodist College to the University of Tennessee Southern. 

Since her 2001 arrival, Coach Paul has accumulated 700-plus career victories with 14 consecutive postseason appearances and 13 straight seasons with a record above .500, including a program record of 47 wins in the 2016 season. Coach Paul is one of the top ten winningest coaches in NAIA softball history. She has earned two conference Coach of the Year awards, led three teams to the NAIA national tournament, and guided the program to multiple nationally-ranked seasons. Historically, her teams hold one of the top two athletic team GPAs each year. Under the direction of Coach Paul, the program has had multiple NAIA All-Americans. Alongside coaching, she has spent numerous seasons as an NAIA national ranker, NAIA national tournament committee member, and conference softball chair.  In addition to her duties with the softball program, Paul spent seven-plus seasons as an Associate Athletic Director.

"Coach Paul is the winningest coach in Martin Methodist Softball history," La Branche said. "She has a proven record of success, passion, and commitment to the program. This past year has been a trial by fire, as she helped lead the department through a host of challenges related to the pandemic while fulfilling her head coaching duties. We are blessed to have her as we start a new chapter in athletics with the pending transition to the University of Tennessee Southern."

"I want to say that I am truly honored to be the fourth and final Athletic Director at MMC," Paul said. "I am excited to lead the way into this new era as we transition to UT Southern. I feel as if my winning traditions on the field of play as well as the strong relationships I have built with my colleagues will help me serve our student-athletes in a greater capacity. I want to thank Dr. La Branche for the opportunity and guidance to move forward in my professional career. I look forward to my new role at MMC/UT Southern."

In addition to becoming the final AD in Martin Methodist's 151-year history and the first in the UT Southern era, Paul also is the first female to lead the department.

A Mobile, Alabama native, Coach Paul graduated from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama in 1995 with a B.A. in accounting, and earned a Master's degree in sports coaching from the United States Sports Academy. Prior to her time at MMC/UTS, Paul led the softball program at Jefferson Davis Community College in Brewton, Alabama, where she turned an 8-37 program into a national power in three seasons. At Huntingdon, Paul was a four-year starter for the Lady Hawks, earning Player of the Week honors in her freshman and junior seasons. The Hawks were ranked in the top ten in NAIA polls all four years, making National Tournament appearances in 1992 and 1994. She was named as an All-Conference shortstop as a junior and placed on the All-Tournament team after helping her team to a 3rd place finish at the 1994 National Tournament.