Saint Francis head softball coach Jessica O’Donnell announced the addition of 2014 Big Sky Conference
Player of the Year Hailey Breakwell to her coaching staff on Sept. 3, 2018.
"Hailey is a great addition to our staff," said O'Donnell. "She is extremely positive and upbeat, which will
be a huge asset to our program. Hailey was a standout player at Idaho State and began her career as a
graduate assistant at a well-established program in Wichita State. I am very excited to have someone of
her caliber join our staff and help us grow our program to the next level!"
In 2019, Breakwell helped O'Donnell lead the Red Flash to the 2019 Northeast Conference Tournament
title. Entering as the third seed, the Red Flash knocked off Sacred Heart and host LIU Brooklyn twice to
capture the NEC Tournament crown for the third-straight season. The 29 wins for the Red Flash in 2019
are the most for a coaching staff in their first season in program history.
Working with O'Donnell, the Red Flash set program records for hits (480) and doubles (97), a mark that
was top-20 in the NCAA. Three players (Hayley Norton, Cheyenne McKee and Sierra McKee) earned
NFCA Great Lakes All-Region honors. Five players (Hayley Norton-First Team, Mikayla Bower, Christina
Clark, Sierra McKee and MeKenzie Saban-second team) earned All-Conference honors during her first
season in Loretto.
Under Breakwell’s supervision, sophomore MeKenzie Saban became a force of nature. Her 23 doubles
set a school and conference record and placed third in the NCAA. Her average of .367 matched her
mentor’s best season and displayed a marked improvement from 2018.
Breakwell's standout collegiate career took off during her junior season in 2014 when she hit .367 with
nine home runs en route to Big Sky Player of the Year and NFCA Second Team All-Region accolades. She
batted .444 in conference play during that season.
Her senior season was just as impressive as she earned First Team All-Big Sky honors, batting .366 with
51 RBI from the shortstop position.
A two-year captain, Breakwell led Idaho State to three Big Sky Conference Championships in her four
seasons.
She was also a standout in the classroom, earning above a 3.0 GPA in every semester of her collegiate
career. She was a three-time Conference All-Academic selection and an NFCA All-America Scholar-
Athlete in 2014.
Following her playing career, Breakwell spent two season as a graduate assistant at Wichita State. The
Shockers won 30-plus games in both of her seasons, earning an at-large to the NCAA Regionals in 2018.
They fell in the Fayetteville Regional Final to #13 Arkansas.
A native of Napa, California, Breakwell spent time as the lead hitting and fielding instructor for the Rick
Robben Hitting, Napa Sports Association and was an assistant coach for the Northern California Bat
Busters U-16 travel team.
She has also represented the New Zealand National Softball Team in many international tournaments,
most recently in the 2018 Canada Cup, the WBSC World Softball Championships in Chiba, Japan, and
qualification for the 2020 Olympics.
Breakwell received a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Idaho State in 2015 and a
master of education degree in sport management from Wichita State in 2018.
