Drew Peterson, a 21-year veteran at the collegiate coaching ranks, enters his 12th season as head coach of Campbell University’s softball team. 

Since taking the helm in July of 2000, Peterson has compiled an overall record of 323-325-2 in his 11 seasons in orange and black.  His 100th victory as the coach of the Camels was a 3-0 victory over UNC Wilmington on February 8, 2005.  He went on to win his 400th career game with a 5-1 win over Nevada on March 10, 2005. Peterson picked up a pair of milestone wins during the 2008 campaign. He won his 200th game in a 5-2 win over Santa Clara on February 29 and his 500th career victory with a 5-4 win over former conference rival Charleston Southern on April 8, 2008. Peterson became the all-time winningest coach in Campbell softball history with the team’s 10-0 victory over Jacksonville on March 6, 2009. The win was the 246th of Peterson’s coaching career at Campbell and allowed him to pass former coach Julie Brzezinski. Peterson picked up two milestone victories in 2011 with his 300th Campbell win coming against Creighton in a 7-6 victory and his 600th career victory being reached against UNC Wilmington in a 2-0 win. His 323 wins are the second most ever registered among all team sport coaches at Campbell. He now has amassed a 606-475-4 career coaching record between heading coaching stints at Campbell and Bethel College. 

With Peterson at the helm in 2011, the Camels made the Atlantic Sun Tournament for the sixth consecutive season, which is the longest such streak of post season berths in the history of the program. The Camels completed the program’s final season of play in the Atlantic Sun by leading the conference in runs, triples, home runs and total bases and ranking in the top three in five other offensive categories. The Camels also finished over .500 for the fifth time in the last seven seasons and reached the 30 win barrier for the third time the last four seasons.

In 2010 under Peterson’s guidance the Camels made the Atlantic Sun Tournament and also ranked among the national leaders in double plays per game (3^rd – 0.49 per game). CU also finished among the top half in the conference in nine hitting and pitching categories. 

The Camels followed up an outstanding 2008 season with an even better 2009 with a 38-16 record. CU was able win the regular season title in the Atlantic Sun Conference for the first time since 1995. The team continued to perform at a high level and swept the conference tournament for the second time in as many years to make the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year and third time overall. The Camels continued to show prolific power and broke the school home run record with 81 long balls. The 81 home runs placed the Camels third nationally in home runs per game. Besides the home run record, the team also set school records in conference wins (16), slugging percentage (.508) and on-base percentage (.383). The team was also able to tie the school record for fielding percentage (.966) and posted the second-best winning percentage in school history (.704).

Individually, Peterson was able to secure the second Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year honor with Campbell posting a 16-4 record in league play and winning the league’s regular season title for the first time since 1995. His then junior pitcher, Brittany Stanley, brought home a few awards in being named the league’s Pitcher of the Year (first-time ever for a Campbell pitcher in the Atlantic Sun) and being named the A-Sun Tournament MVP for the second consecutive season. 

In the 2008 season, the Camels had a campaign for the ages going 42-25 and winning the Atlantic Sun Conference title with a 4-0 sweep of the conference tournament. The team’s appearance in the NCAA Tournament was only the second in school history and the first in 13 years to that point. On their way the Camels nearly rewrote the entire school record book. Campbell’s 2008 squad set the school record in runs (350), hits (511), doubles (100), home runs (64 – since broken), RBIs (325), total bases (835) walks (238) and slugging percentage mark (.382 – since broken). Individually, Coach Peterson’s group also set a new a single season home run mark (Courtney Quinn – 20), RBI mark (Amanda Littlejohn – 72) and the walks record (Courtney Quinn – 39), while compiling the second most wins in school history.

Peterson was first named Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year in 2006 after guiding the Camels to their most overall (31) and conference wins (12) since 1996.  Campbell finished fourth in the Atlantic Sun Tournament in its first appearance in postseason play since 1999. 

During Peterson’s tenure at Campbell, players have earned all-conference recognition 19 times and 11 times his players have been named to the league’s all-freshman unit.  He has also has had 34 players named NFCA Academic All-Americans on 61 different occasions.  Annie Lewis, a member of the CU softball team from 1999-2001 was tabbed GTE/Verizon Academic All-District and All-America in Petersons first year in Buies Creek, 2001. In 2009, Karlie Love was named to the ESPN The Magazine / Academic Softball All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

While coaching Campbell, the Camels have had victories over several top programs including North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois. In 2008 the Camels picked up arguable the biggest win in the program’s history with a 7-6 come-from-behind elimination-game victory over host school North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. The 2010 season saw Campbell once again knock off a ranked opponent with a 6-4 victory over the then No. 22 Tar Heels. The 2011 season was marked by Campbell wins over a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference opponents in Virginia and North Carolina. 

In 11 seasons, Peterson’s clubs have set 49 single-season/career team and individual records for their offensive, defensive and pitching performances, with three individual career records falling in 2011.

While at Bethel, Peterson guided his teams to a 283-150-2 record, six Mid-Central (NAIA) Conference championships, four National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) regional titles and the 1995 NCCAA national crown. 

A native of Elkhart, Ind., Peterson inherited the Bethel program in 1991 that had won just 16 games in its first 12 years of competition.  His first squad went 5-25, but that was the last time a Peterson-coached team suffered through a losing record at Bethel.

Peterson’s second team went 21-18 and won the Mid-Central Conference title. His clubs won no fewer than 20 games from 1992-00, including the 1995 club that established a school record with 45 victories. 

Peterson was inducted into the Bethel College Hall of Fame on September 10, 2006.

Honored as the NCCAA National Softball Coach of the Year in 1995, Peterson also was named NCCAA Regional Coach of the Year on four occasions. He was selected Mid-Central Conference Coach of the Year seven times. 

In his 10-year stint at Bethel, Peterson coached four NAIA All-Americans and 13 NCCAA All-Americans. His clubs topped the 30-victory barrier five times, including each of the last two seasons. His 2000 squad fashioned a 37-14 mark while capturing the Mid-Central Conference and NCCAA regional titles.

Peterson served as the Mid-Central Conference Softball Chair from 1994-2000, the NAIA Great Lakes Regional Softball Chair from 1998-2000 and the NCCAA National Softball Chair from 1994-97. 

In addition to his softball coaching responsibilities, Peterson served as Assistant to the Athletics Director and as an adjunct professor in the physical education program. He was also the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Bethel from 1990-96.

Peterson entered Bethel in 1987 and played three seasons on the baseball team as a pitcher and middle infielder. Prior to his senior campaign, he was offered the chance of coaching the softball squad. A 1991 graduate of Bethel with a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education, Peterson also earned his Master of Ministries degree from Bethel in 1996. 

Peterson is married to the former Jennifer Miller of Plymouth, Ind. They have four sons: John (16), Joshua (14), Noah (11) and Benjamin (6).

Peterson’s Career Accomplishments

2008 and 2009 NCAA East Regional Appearance

2008 and 2009 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship

2009 Atlantic Sun Regular Season Champions

2006 and 2009 Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year

Six Mid-Central Conference Championships (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000)

Four National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Regional Titles

1995 NCCAA National Championship

1995 NCCAA National Softball Coach of the Year

Four-time NCCAA Regional Coach of the Year

Seven-time Mid-Central Conference Coach of the Year

One Verizon Academic All-America player

Four NAIA All-America players

13 NCCAA All-America players

Mid-Central Conference Softball Chair, 1994-00

NAIA Great Lakes Regional Softball Chair, 1998-00

NCCAA National Softball Chair, 1994-1997 

Peterson’s Collegiate Coaching Record

Year School Won Lost Tied Pct. Postseason

1991 Bethel 5 25 0 .167 —-

1992 Bethel 21 18 0 .538 Mid-Central Conf. Champs

1993 Bethel 30 11 0 .732 Mid-Central Conf. Runner Up

1994 Bethel 29 6 1 .819 Mid-Central Conf. Champs

1995 Bethel 45 10 0 .818 Mid-Central Conf. Champs

1996 Bethel 34 15 0 .694 Mid-Central Conf. Champs

1997 Bethel 24 18 1 .570 —-

1998 Bethel 20 20 0 .500 Mid-Central Conf. Runner Up

1999 Bethel 38 13 0 .745 Mid-Central Conf. Champs

2000 Bethel 37 14 0 .725 Mid-Central Conf. Champs

Totals 283 150 2 .653—10 Years

2001 Campbell 30 28 0 .517

2002 Campbell 26 35 0 .426

2003 Campbell 23 31 0 .426

2004 Campbell 20 36 0 .357

2005 Campbell 29 27 0 .518

2006 Campbell 31 28  0 .525 4^th Place A-Sun Tournament

2007 Campbell 29 40 1 .421 3^rd Place A-Sun Tournament

2008 Campbell 42 25 0 .627  Won A-Sun Tournament

2009 Campbell 38 16 0 .704  Won A-Sun Tournament

2010 Campbell 23 31 1  .427 6^th Place A-Sun Tournament

2011 Campbell 32 28 0  .533 3^rd Place A-Sun Tournament

Totals 323 325 2 .498—11 Years

Career Totals

606-475-4 .565—21 years