Softball

Pat Reardon enters his 34th season as head coach of the Central Methodist softball team in 2026. He holds a career record of 1,028-581-2, all with the Eagles.  

Reardon secured his 1,000th career victory on March 12th with a 5-2 win over Williams Baptist in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. With the win, he became just the fourth coach in NAIA Softball history to reach 1,000 career victories. 

Coach Reardon begins the 2026 season as the third-winningest active coach in the NAIA. He is also the winningest coach in conference history, reaching the milestone in April 2015 after a win over Evangel. 

A 13-time Heart of America Athlete Conference Softball Coach of the Year honoree, Reardon has guided Central Methodist to 40-plus wins in seven of the last nine seasons. For their efforts, he and his staff have been named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association NAIA Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year eight times.

Since taking over the program in 1993, Reardon has led the team to 11 Heart Regular Season Championships, eight Heart Tournament Championships, and five trips to the NAIA World Series (2012, 2015, 2023, 2024 & 2025). He has coached 47 All-Americans and numerous Heart All-Conference selections. Additionally, Reardon's teams are among the best in the country academically, routinely being recognized by the National Fastpitch Coaches' Association as an All-Academic Team. 

For his efforts as a coach, Reardon was inducted into the Central Methodist Hairston Hall of Fame in 2012. 

Central Methodist has been home to Reardon since 1986 when he stepped foot on campus as a soccer player. He earned four letters as a member of the soccer program and also earned three letters competing in baseball. On the pitch, Reardon earned All-Conference and All-District honors. 

Today, he still holds the program record for career goals scored with 39. 

Upon graduating with a degree in Business Administration in 1990, Reardon entered the coaching realm, spending 12 seasons as the head women’s soccer coach at Central Methodist while also beginning his historic tenure as head softball coach. He also spent one season coaching both men’s and women’s tennis, as well as one season coaching men’s soccer in the early 1990s.