Collierville, Tenn. – Collierville High School announced Friday that Michelle Martin has been named the Lady Dragons’ new head softball coach. Martin spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant. She replaces Mike Bradley, who announced his retirement in June after leading the program for 28 years.

“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Michelle Martin as the new Head Coach of our softball team,” said Collierville High School Principal Roger Jones. “Her exceptional background in both education and coaching, coupled with her commitment to fostering student-athletes' growth, makes her the perfect fit for this role. We are confident that Coach Martin will build upon the strong foundation laid by Coach Bradley and lead our team to continued success.”

A former standout at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Martin finished her playing career in 2006 by starting 43 games as the team’s primary right fielder. That same year, she was named to the All-Tournament Team at Auburn’s War Eagle Classic. Martin signed with MTSU out of St. Benedict at Auburndale High School. She garnished All-Metro and Best of the Preps honors all four years of her high school career.

Immediately following her collegiate playing career, Martin was named the Head Softball Coach at Crichton College. After two years, she joined the staff at her high school alma mater for a pair of seasons and assisted the St. Benedict state runner-up team in 2009. Martin was also an assistant coach at Rhodes College for one season prior to joining the staff at Collierville High School.

Martin is happily married to her husband Ryan, a former Collierville baseball standout, and the couple has three wonderful children: Avery (12), Lex (5), and Rhett (3).