TOLEDO, Ohio — Jessica Bracamonte has been introduced as the new head softball coach at the University of Toledo, with the introductory news conference being held earlier Thursday afternoon at Savage Arena.
A native of Hacienda Heights, California, Bracamonte arrives to Toledo after a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Duke University. Prior to her time with the Blue Devils, Bracamonte was an assistant coach at Central Michigan from 2013-19.
With knowledge of the MAC and the program directly, Bracamonte knew that Toledo was the right place for her to win as a head coach.
“I have seen it happen,” Bracamonte said. “I know the history of this program and I don’t think that it’s a fluke. I think that given the right tools at the right time, this program can be successful, and I really believe I have the tools.”
A four-year starter at Michigan State from 2008-11, Bracamonte earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from her alma mater in 2012 before beginning her coaching career with the Spartans as a student assistant. She then earned a master’s degree in sports administration from CMU in 2015.
Toledo Athletic Director Bryan Blair says that Bracamonte, his first hire as AD, was a name that the program could not pass up.
“We poured our absolute everything into this search," Blair said. "We talked to search firms, we talked to more than 10 sitting head coaches, we talked to softball national writers, we talked to the best and brightest out there. We asked them all the same question: who's out there that would be the best fit as our head coach? The name we kept coming back to was Jessica Bracamonte."
After a long and tedious journey to get to a head coaching position, Bracamonte knew she was ready to go lead a program of her own.
“There are a lot of emotions that go into it, but I think the one trumps them all is excitement,” Bracamonte said. “I have never felt more ready than I am now.”
Upon hiring, Bracamonte becomes the 12th head coach in the program’s history, and replaces Joe Abraham, who resigned following the conclusion of the 2022 season.