When Brittney Harvey came to Franklin College two years ago, her hope was to build the softball program into a powerhouse similar to the one she had helped build at Trine, where she excelled as a player and was an assistant coach for the 2022 national championship team.

The 2026 season showed that Harvey and the Grizzlies are on the right track.

Harvey was chosen as the HCAC's Coach of the Year on Thursday after leading Franklin to a 30-12 record and a share of the HCAC regular-season championship, the first such crown in Griz history.

The Grizzlies were picked third in the league's preseason poll but outpaced that projection, winning their first 11 conference games on the way to a 14-4 finish. They tied with Mount St. Joseph atop the final HCAC standings but gained the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament after ending the regular season with a 7-6 walkoff victory over the Lions. 

Franklin also beat a DePauw team ranked 23rd nationally at the time and swept a doubleheader at NCAA qualifier Transylvania for the first time in program history. The Grizzlies had four players earn All-HCAC recognition, led by Pitcher of the Year Lauren Duncan.

Harvey has a 53-25 record in her two seasons at the helm.