Former Midwestern State University softball coach Stephanie Cardona has been tapped as the leader of the Sissies’ program, replacing former coach Calvin Wright. COURTESY | MSU ATHLETICS
The Bridgeport Sissies’ softball program will have a new skipper in the dugout for the second straight season.
Bridgeport athletic director Aaron Cupp announced the hiring of former Midwestern State University assistant softball coach Stephanie Cardona as the team’s next leader on the department’s Facebook account Thursday.
“I’m very excited to be a part of the Bridgeport community and to have the opportunity to build something special,” Cardona said. “Bridgeport is a great community, and the people are really filled with support. This is where I live, so I’m excited to grow with the community and coach the sport I love.”
Cardona will also serve as the assistant coach of the Sissies’ volleyball program under head coach Christina Rudiger.
A Colorado native, Cardona served as an assistant coach at MSU for the 2023 season. The Mustangs went 12-39 in 2023, and finished 13th in the Lone Star Conference at 11-31.
“Coming from college to high school, my biggest focus is on player development,” she said. “That was one of the big reasons I wanted to go back down — to grow players and help them get to where they want to go.”
Cardona spent the 2023-24 school year as a PE teacher and volleyball, basketball and track coach of Northwest ISD’s Wilson Middle School. She also coached on the club level with Batbusters Softball Club (2018-20) and was an assistant coach at Douglas County High School, both located in Castle Rock, Colorado.
Prior to her stop at MSU, Cardona was a graduate assistant for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns at Angelo State University, and helped the Rambelles post a combined 72-26 overall record, including two trips to the NCAA Division II South Central Regionals.
The new coach was a standout four-year starter at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, garnering All-Heart of America Athletic Conference honors each season. Cardona posted a .345 career batting average with 62 doubles, 11 triples, 17 home runs and 134 RBIs in 631 collegiate at-bats. She gained First Team honors in her junior season (2017), and was a second-team pick in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
“In high school and college, I came from two programs that we started from the ground up,” she said. “But by my senior year in college, we were the winningest team in school history. I have a lot of experience with both adversity and success, so that helps a ton. Hopefully, I can use those experiences to help us go out and get a district championship this year.”
Cardona replaces former coach Calvin Wright, who coached the Sissies to a 9-16 overall record in his lone season with the team before departing to become an assistant softball coach at Brewer.
Under Wright, Bridgeport went 6-5 in District 8-4A, and finished third in the league standings after an 8-0 loss to rival Decatur in a second-seed tiebreaker. The Sissies exited the 4A postseason in the first round following a bi-district sweep by regional semifinalist Burkburnett, 9-0 and 15-8.
Bridgeport was placed into 4A Region I’s District 7 for softball in the UIL’s biennial realignment released in February with Burkburnett, Castleberry, Decatur, Eagle Mountain, Krum, Lake Worth and Springtown.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough region and district,” Cardona said. “At the end, we want to come out on top and push the girls to succeed. We’re going to strive to do our best each and every day, be present in each game and take it one game at a time, and that’s what going to take us to success. I’m not a big person on what it says on the other teams’ jerseys — we’re about us, and we’re going to go out and play our game.”
Cupp also recently announced several new hires to the Bridgeport football staff.
Former Denton High assistant coach Bruce Bevers will become the team’s defensive coordinator — taking over for former associate head coach Robbie Deheck — and will coach linebackers.
Following the resignation of former coach and Bridgeport product Cody Henson, Cupp has tapped former Conroe Oak Ridge running backs coach Frank Wilson as the Bulls’ new offensive coordinator. Wilson will also serve as head coach of the school’s powerlifting program.
Cupp currently has three head coaching jobs that remain open — boys soccer, girls soccer and cross country.
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