Illinois State University Women's Softball

Tina Kramos was announced as the head coach of Redbird softball on August 28, 2022, after long-time head coach Melinda Fischer announced her retirement. She enters her 26th season at Illinois State and her fourth at the helm of the program as head coach. Prior to being handed the reins of the program, Kramos had been promoted to her previous title of senior associate head coach on July 24, 2017, entering her 17th season with Illinois State. During the 2025 season, Kramos guided the Redbirds to a 16-11 conference record, earning them the No. 4 seed and first-day bye in the MVC Tournament where they advanced to the semifinals. Illinois State had four softball student-athletes selected to All-MVC teams, as senior first baseman Abby Knight and senior second baseman Delainey Bryant secured First Team selections, while junior pitcher Hannah Mesnick claimed Second-Team honors. Sophomore outfielder Julia Larson rounded out the Redbird honorees, earning a spot on the MVC All-Defensive team. As an assistant coach at ISU, Kramos has coached three All-Americans (Amber Smith - 2006; Kara Nelson - 2007, 2010; Abby Olson - 2010), and played a large role in then-freshman Kara Nelson earning the 2007 Valley Player of the Year Award, the first time in conference history that a freshman had that award bestowed upon her. Nelson went on to claim a second MVC Player of the Year honor in 2011 under Kramos’ guidance, while catchers Elizabeth Kay won the award in 2013 and Jordan de los Reyes won the award in 2017. Kramos has also mentored 10 NFCA All-Region selections since 2017, one of them, Emme Olson, in back-to-back seasons. Olson also became the new program record-holder in career doubles in the 2023 season in the Kramos era. The Redbirds finished third overall in Missouri Valley Conference regular season play, and made it to the MVC quarterfinals. Before arriving at Illinois State, Kramos coached softball from 1995-97 at Colorado-Colorado Springs before she spent three years on the coaching staff at Nicholls State. Prior to her coaching career, Kramos was a member of the Missouri State softball team from 1990-95 and was a two-time All-Valley First-Team selection. Kramos has continued her softball career beyond coaching, as she was selected to the Greek National Team in the summer of 2002. Earning multiple championships, Kramos played for the team that won the 2003 European Championship in Italy, while the Greek National Team took second-place honors in 2005 at the European Championships in Prague. She played with the Greek Olympic softball team in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2006 Women’s Softball World Championships. In 2015, she was selected as the head coach for the Greek National Team that competed at the European Championships in Rosemalen, Netherlands. Kramos also played for the East Peoria Avanti’s (1995) and Michigan Cruise (1996-2000), with both teams part of the ASA Women’s Majors.

Kennedy Gilbertson is in her first season with the Redbirds as an assistant coach. Gilbertson recently worked for one season at Colby College as an assistant swim coach, where she helped with meet travel, pool/meet setup and timing, and recruiting. Her main charge was the sprints group, where she wrote group sets and practice plans in addition to assisting at practice and meets in other areas. Prior to her move to the collegiate level, she coached at Iowa City West High School as the head coach from August to November 2024. In that role, she created practice routines, worked with assistant coaches on team culture, ethics and technique and oversaw all junior varsity and varsity lineups. She also spent time as a club coach at IFLY working with swimmers aged 15-18 and worked as a lifeguard throughout her collegiate career. As a student-athlete at Iowa from 2020-2024, Gilbertson was named the team's MVP following the 2023 season and later represented the Hawkeyes at the World Championship Trials on the national stage. She is still the Iowa school record holder in the 100-yard backstroke and earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from Iowa in May 2024. Illinois State Swimming & Diving head coach Riley Hilbrandt announced the hiring of Kennedy Gilbertson as the program's new assistant coach on Wednesday. Gilbertson comes to Illinois State following a successful collegiate swimming career at Iowa and most recently coached at the collegiate level at Colby College. Gilbertson recently worked for one season at Colby College as an assistant swim coach, where she helped with meet travel, pool/meet setup and timing, and recruiting. Her main charge was the sprints group, where she wrote group sets and practice plans in addition to assisting at practice and meets in other areas. Prior to her move to the collegiate level, she coached at Iowa City West High School as the head coach from August to November 2024. In that role, she created practice routines, worked with assistant coaches on team culture, ethics and technique and oversaw all junior varsity and varsity lineups. She also spent time as a club coach at IFLY working with swimmers aged 15-18 and worked as a lifeguard throughout her collegiate career. As a student-athlete at Iowa from 2020-2024, Gilbertson was named the team's MVP following the 2023 season and later represented the Hawkeyes at the World Championship Trials on the national stage. She is still the Iowa school record holder in the 100-yard backstroke and earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from Iowa in May 2024.

Brandon Duncan is in his first season on the Redbird coaching staff, and works primarily with the Redbird pitchers and catchers. Duncan brings over 17 years of collegiate coaching experience at various levels with him to the Illinois State softball program. Duncan comes to Illinois State with a solid foundation at the collegiate level, with previous coaching stints at Miami (Ohio), Rutgers, Toledo, Charleston Southern, Samford, Virginia and Georgia Tech. Prior to joining the RedHawks, Duncan was at Rutgers as an assistant coach after working with Coach Butler on the 2018 MAC Coaching Staff of the Year at Toledo. At Rutgers, he worked primarily with pitchers and slap hitters. In his first season in Piscataway, one of Duncan's hurlers landed on All-Big Ten as a freshman and more recently one of his rookies threw 13 strikeouts in her debut marking the most K's by a Scarlet Knight in a game since 2013.   Duncan most recently served as the pitching coach at Miami (Ohio), where he was part of the NFCA Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year. Prior to joining the RedHawks, Duncan was at Rutgers as an assistant coach after working with Coach Butler on the 2018 MAC Coaching Staff of the Year at Toledo. The Abbeville, S.C. native first coached as an assistant coach at Charleston Southern and signed on to the staff at Toledo in 2017. From 2011-14, Duncan was an assistant coach at Samford University and coached two players to all-conference honors.    He was the head coach at Lander University for the 2007-11 seasons, where his teams increased their win total each season and coached five all-conference players in his last three seasons. Prior to his time at Lander, Duncan was an assistant coach at the University of Virginia from 2006-07 and an assistant coach at Georgia Tech from 2004-06.    Duncan graduated from Alabama in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in history and worked as a student manager for the Crimson Tide softball program. Prior to starting his coaching career, Duncan was a pitcher himself as part of the Spartanburg Stars, Atlanta Blast and New York Merchants fastpitch organizations.  

Jhavon Hayes is in her first season with the Redbird coaching staff, but is no stranger to the program as a former standout student-athlete and GA coach for the Redbirds. A standout softball player at Illinois State from 2009 to 2013, Hayes had an exceptional collegiate career earning four MVC all-conference selections and while twice being named to the NFCA All-Mideast Region Team. She finished her career ranked in the top five all-time in ISU program history for career runs scored (150), hits (206), stolen bases (32), home runs (28), walks (84), and RBIs (117). Following her playing career, Hayes served as a student assistant coach at Illinois State under legendary head coach Melinda Fischer and current ISU head coach Tina Kramos, gaining valuable experience and insight into high-level program operations. Her coaching journey has also taken her to Bradley, Millikin University, and most recently to Princeton High School, where she has coached for the past three seasons and played a key role in player development and team culture. She has also been deeply involved in travel ball as a coach with the Peoria Sluggers Fastpitch organization over the past eight seasons. Off the field, Hayes is married to Jackson Hayes and is the proud mother of two children, BJ and Kortlyn.

Alexis Rudd is in her first season with the Redbird Softball coaching staff. Rudd joins the Redbird Softball coaching staff, after graduating from Southern Illinois in the Spring of 2025. She was a member of three MVC Championship teams while playing for the Salukis as a designated player and pitcher. Rudd earned ICGSA Class 3A/4A All-State Second Team honors and helped Center Grove win the school's first state title since 2015 during her prep career.

Sienna Breton enters her first season as the Redbirds assistant diving coach. Breton spent the previous two seasons at South Dakota State as the Graduate Head Diving Coach for the Jackrabbits. In that role, Breton served as the diving coach, oversaw practice schedules, worked with student-athlete development and competition preparation all while working on her master's degree. Last year, Breton also served as an athletics peer mentor at SDSU, where she helped provide individualized support to student-athletes to help with time management, study strategies and goal-setting skills. As a student-athlete at Ohio University from 2019-2023, Breton was a three-time MAC All-Academic Team selection as a diver for the Bobcats. As a senior, Breton competed in eight meets and finished 48th in the 3-meter event and 49th in the 1-meter event at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships. As a junior, she took home Scholar All-American Team honors and placed seventh in the 3-meter diving event with a score of 217.65 at the 2021 Magnus Cup.