Briar Cliff University Women's Softball

TJ Eadus was named the Briar Cliff head softball coach in August of 2023. Eadus comes to the Cliff after spending the last four years as the head softball coach at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska. Eadus, a former NCAA D1 catcher, has been involved in the game of softball as an instructor and coach since 2009. Her Primetime Softball team has won five Class A State Championships in the 18U division, most recently in 2022.   Eadus was a standout catcher for the University of Oregon and Creighton University. With the Ducks, she was an Honorable Mention All-American, First Team All-Pacific Region, was named the PAC-10 Player of the Week twice, and carried the highest batting average on the team. After spending a season at Central Arizona College, Eadus would spend the next two seasons at Creighton. As a member of the Bluejays, Eadus was a First Team All-MVC selection, as well as the MVC Tournament MVP after leading Creighton to the regular season and tournament championships in 2008. She led the conference in home runs, which ranked 15th in the NCAA. She set the Creighton single-season record with 16 home runs, a mark that now ranks tied for fifth.   During her senior season at Creighton, Eadus was selected in the third round of the National Professional Fast pitch softball league by the New England Riptide. She was the first Bluejay to be drafted into the league.   Eadus looks to build upon the Chargers' last year's success, as the Charger softball team had eight all-GPAC players and set new single-season records for wins (33), stolen bases (86), and strikeouts (417).   Eadus earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in interpersonal communication at Creighton University. She has an Associate of Arts degree from Central Arizona College in Art. Eadus is married to Mike Leapley and has three children, Isabella, Landon, and Dominick. She is the daughter of Johnnie and Terri Eadus.

Rylee Cain begins her first season as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the Briar Cliff University softball program for the 2025–26 academic year. Before transitioning into coaching, Cain enjoyed a successful collegiate softball career, competing at both Buena Vista University and Briar Cliff University. During her final season with the Chargers, Cain was honored as the Hilton Garden Inn Athlete of the Week and earned All-GPAC Conference honors. In addition to her coaching responsibilities, Cain is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Management at Briar Cliff University. Originally from Omaha, NE, Cain is the daughter of Pat and Herschel Cain. 

Makensey Pankers joined the Cliff ahead of the 2024 season as Assistant Coach. Prior to coming to the Cliff, Pankers started her collegiate career at Butler Community College in El Dorado, KS. A former standout, Pankers earned NJCAA Academic All-American, First-Team All-Conference, and First-Team All-Region Catcher during her time at Butler. After spending two seasons at Butler Community College, she then went on to finish her career at D2 Saint Leo University and graduated in May of 2021. Pankers has an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts (Butler CC) and a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology (Saint Leo University). Following her playing career, Pankers got her Personal Training License and began her own training business. Along with that, she spent two years at Papillion La-Vista South High School coaching softball and powerlifting. She is now an assistant coach at Omaha Westside High School. Pankers is the daughter of Bruce and Joeni Pankers. 

Mike Leapley is the head coach at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he was recognized as a co-coach of the year in 2023. Mike also coaches a Class A travel softball team in the summers, where he helped lead the team to an impressive eight state championships in the 18U and 16U divisions. Additionally, as the director of operations for Primetime Softball, Mike has made a significant impact by assisting over 100 girls in pursuing college education. Furthermore, while serving as an assistant coach at Briar Cliff Softball, Mike manages the outfield, oversees recruiting efforts, and handles softball analytics.