Brownwood ISD Athletic Director Mitch Moore on Thursday announced the hire of Brazos ISD head baseball coach Chris Bright as the new Lions baseball head coach.
“I’m excited for Coach Bright and his family to be a part of the Brownwood Lion family,” Moore said. “Coach (Blake) Sandford did a great job and I believe Coach Bright will continue to build on the success of the Lion baseball program. I look forward to Coach Bright getting moved to Brownwood to meet the players and community.”
Bright has been the head baseball coach at Brazos – a member of District 24-3A – since 2000. In 2023, Brazos – which is located in Wallis, Texas – was a bi-district champion and area round qualifier, and in both 2024 and 2025 Brazos reached the bi-district round of the playoffs.
Prior to his time at Brazos, Bright coached at Harker Heights High School from 2013-20 where he was the varsity baseball first assistant and head JV coach for multiple seasons.
A graduate of Waco Connally High School, Bright also attended college at the University of the Ozarks from 2002-04, where he also played baseball, before finishing his education at Tarleton State University from 2004-07.
“Being from around the area, I was a Tarleton graduate and my family is 30 minutes down the road for hunting, I’ve been around Brownwood enough to know Brownwood is passionate about their sports,” Bright said of his interest in Brownwood. “They rally behind their teams, they roll in the carpets at night and close the doors and everybody shows up for the sporting events. The administration and the school district get behind the kids and that’s been proven by the bond that’s been passed. The facilities are phenomenal and I’m excited to get to work.”
Bright replaces Blake Sandford, who retired following the season. Sandford posted a 57-39-1 record over three seasons and two stints at Brownwood, with three playoff appearances, two bi-district championships and one district title.
Regarding his coaching philosophy, Bright said, “I love the game and the life lessons that the game brings. I love teaching the game to kids and letting them learn and grow and become a better man because of the lessons the game can teach you. I’m a hustler, I want our kids to get after it, I want our kids to be gritty, and be a team people don’t want to run up against because of the intensity and the focus and the hustle we play the game with.”
As for his long-term goals for the Lions baseball program, Bright said, “Any coach will tell you district championships first and foremost are what they want their kids to experience. I want the team to be one that battles year in and year out for a district championship. After that, make sure we’re a team making a deep playoff run. Everyone wants a ring on their finger, I know I do. I was fortunate enough as a high school player to make it to the regional finals, so I know what it’s like to play deep into the postseason. Ultimately, I want us to put a ring on our finger, that’s always going to be the end game.”
Bright and his wife Brittain met at Tarleton have been married 13 years and have three children – son, Beau, who will be a 7th grader; son, Brooks, who will be a 2nd grader; and daughter, Caleigh, who is not yet in school.
“I love kids and the community is going to know it, see it and feel it,” Bright said. “They’re going to see a family man that’s going to go to work and love their kids. As much as we like to set goals, the wins are going to be secondary to making men of character.”