Last Friday, Fairfield (Ohio) High beat Colerain High 14-1, but the convincing win wasn’t the story.
The big news was that the victory marked win #500 in the outstanding career of Head Coach Brenda Stieger, who has been with the school in the Greater Miami Conference in the Cincinnati area for 27 seasons. She graduated in 1983 from the same school—Fairfield High—where today she also works as a PE and Health teacher and is the school’s Sports Information Director.
The notable victory puts Coach Stieger in the Top 20 of high school softball coaching wins in the Buckeye State and makes her just the fifth woman in Ohio to reach the #500 milestone. She has coached the Fairfield High Indians for two-decades plus years now and in that time has won four conference titles and nine district titles.
Athletic Director Aaron Blankenship posted a nice tribute to the head coach via Twitter:
Congratulations to Coach Stieger on her 500th win!
Brenda becomes the 20th Softball Coach in OHSAA history to reach this milestone!#FairfieldPride #OneTribe pic.twitter.com/62SzongiqU— Aaron Blankenship (@fcsdathletics) April 6, 2023
The well-loved coach says softball has given her as much as she’s put into the sport and her record-setting game last Friday was even more special because her family—including her daughter, her grandsons and her husband—who keeps the team’s stats—were in the stands to cheer on Coach Stieger and her squad.
“Softball helped me extend my competitive nature after my playing years ended,” she told Extra Inning Softball, “but it has brought me so much more than that. Coaching has been one of the greatest joys in my life and one I have shared with my family. My daughter was my assistant for over a decade, and my husband is my greatest supporter.”
Her players certainly appreciate the history of their leader, but also recognize how Coach Stieger impacts them on a personal and individual level, too.
Ava Hensley, a sophomore outfielder/second baseman who was ranked #77 in the 2025 Extra Elite 100 and batted .455 with a .540 on-base percentage last year at the varsity level, commented:
“We all love playing for coach because she is always pushing us to be the best we can be. She is always there for us on and off the field and has helped me become a more confident, strong player.”
Junior infielder Abby Stanfield posted a nice tribute on her Twitter page writing: “Couldn’t ask for a better coach to coach me through high school!”
She continued:
“I love playing for Coach, she pushes all us girls to be confident on and off the field and is always there for us no matter what and really understands us.”
Congrats coach on 500! Couldn’t ask for a better coach to coach me through high school!❤️ https://t.co/olPRHhrcMP
— Abby Stanfield (@AbbyStanfield2) April 7, 2023
Julian Huey, a junior pitcher and utility player said:
“Coach really pushes us to our fullest potential because she makes sure everyone is hustling no matter what and has a lot of confidence in each and every one of us.”
And Karley Clark, a junior catcher/outfielder, agrees with her teammates as she added:
“Coach Stieger is fun, but with discipline and accountability.”
So, looking back on her two decades, what are Coach Stieger’s thoughts on such an amazing career?
“I have been fortunate to coach some very talented players,” she begins. “Coaching in high school allows you to take the talents of the kids and fill in the puzzle pieces of where they fit for a team every year. That’s the fun part. Then you get to watch them flourish and perform at their highest level. It is so rewarding.”
That’s on the fields of competition… what, she was asked, has the coach found so rewarding in mentoring these young athletes as they progress through their high school and teenage years when not in uniform?
“The relationships I have through coaching are with some of the best women you can ever meet,” the accomplished coach concludes. “I can only hope I have made as much of an impact on them as they have on me.”
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
The local Fox TV affiliate, Fox19, did a nice segment on Coach Stieger’s milestone victory… click HERE to watch it.
