No matter the obstacle, Hanna Branch is excited to lead the Mexico softball program into its next chapter.

The Lady Bulldogs have recorded 11 winning seasons and two state Final Fours within the previous 12 years and will have their third head coach in as many seasons.

Mexico is coming off a 19-13 season that ended in districts against Bowling Green and college arm Megan Graver but have high expectations with its new coaching staff addition. Branch is going into her first head coaching role after two assistant positions at her alma mater Kirkwood and Webster Groves, which followed years of instructional experience in the game that has meant everything to Branch.

“Softball has gotten me through a lot in life,” Branch said. “It’s gotten me through probably the hardest times in my life, and I’ve met some really good people. Giving back to people involved with it and the game that has helped me through so much meant a lot to me. It just felt natural to go back into a coaching role.”

Branch didn’t want to say goodbye to softball after her four years of college softball at NCAA Division II McKendree University, which included an all-conference junior season when she hit .398 with 40 RBI, 21 doubles and nine home runs, and four-time all-conference career at Kirkwood. She said she enjoyed the winter and summer youth camps at McKendree and believes she can lead the Mexico girls through the good and bad.

“I have played at one of the higher levels in softball so I know what the best of the best looks like,” Branch said. “I’ve had coaches that were really hard on me, and I’ve had coaches that were amazing coaches so I’ve seen all sides of what softball brings. 

“I know (softball) has gotten me through a lot, and I’d like to give that same outlet to other girls because I know, especially in high school, those are sometimes tough years and sometimes girls are going through a lot so they just need a good outlet to take their mind off of things and they need good people to be around. That’s what I wanted to create as a coach.”

Branch wanted to be around good people as well as she took the next step of her softball career so she found the Mexico job open and was hired around the end of June. Mexico seemed to fit what she was looking for, and she has worked to establish some camaraderie with her new girls during the month of July.

She did, however, have some familiarity with the town as she was introduced by baseball assistant coach Gavin Jones. Branch and Jones are engaged so he has had no problem with passing on knowledge about his hometown and even working in a volunteer coaching capacity at times.

“I got to know his town the more I hung out with him,” Branch said. “I really like the people, I love the small-town feel and knowing people, and I like how friendly everybody is. I worked summer school, and the more I got to know some of the students at the high school, the more I really enjoyed that age group.”

When it comes to teaching, athletic director Brandon Schafer said Branch will be a physical education teacher at Eugene Field Elementary. 

In her coaching role, Schafer has high expectations for Branch and the Lady Bulldogs, not just because of Mexico’s recent history but also Branch’s history. He says some “bumps in the road” are possible in her first year but likes what could be in store this year and the next five years.

“Our softball program, over the last 10-15 years, has been one of the most successful so I wanted somebody who had knowledge at the college level,” Schafer said. “She’s been an assistant coach at a big school, Webster Groves, for the last two years so she has that experience of working with talented athletes. That’s what she’ll be working with here. I just wanted somebody that I knew that could reach the girls, she could teach them some things and give them some knowledge for the next level.”

Branch also wants to set the bar high for her new team while also being encouraging as she remembers being in their shoes and beating herself up for mistakes.

“My job is to try to encourage girls and build them up as much as I can so that they’re confident enough to perform when a game happens,” Branch said.

The last of Mexico’s summer practices happened on Thursday, July 27 before hitting a dead week. Following that, Branch is excited to become acquainted with the full team as she said she hasn’t met everyone yet due to some having busy summer schedules.

From the girls she has met, Branch said she has felt welcome despite the limited time she has worked with them and believes the Lady Bulldogs are capable of good things.

“It’s refreshing to see how the girls are receptive,” Branch said. “They’re willing to do whatever I ask them to do. They’ve been awesome as they seem like a good group of girls with really good character, and that’s pretty rare when it comes to certain sports.”