Drew Bryson is returning to a familiar place to face a new challenge. 

Cullman hired the longtime West Point baseball coach to take over his alma mater’s softball program — the hire officially approved by the Cullman City School Board on Wednesday — after a consistent and productive tenure with the Warriors.

Bryson replaces Jessica McBrayer, who coached the Bearcats this spring.

“I’m humbled and blessed,” said Bryson, who graduated from Cullman in 2009. “The good Lord opened a door and allowed this opportunity to present itself. I want to thank Dr. (Kyle) Kallhoff, Coach (Mike) Dean, Mrs. (Allison) Tuggle and this school board for entrusting me to lead the softball program. Cullman is a special place, so I’m excited to be back in the Black and Gold.

“I also want to thank my family for all the love and support. Coaching and being married to a coach isn’t easy. At times, there are long hours and late nights. I’m thankful for my wife Samantha. She does an unbelievable job taking care of our family and keeping everything running, especially during the season. I’m also thankful for my parents and how much they have supported me in my coaching career over the years.”

Bryson accumulated 109 wins across seven seasons at West Point, leading the Warriors to six county titles and two playoff berths. He also coached several All-State players.

That success, along with an “unbelievable” community, made the decision to leave anything but easy.

“It was a tough one,” Bryson said. “The parents and players bought in and supported the coaching staff and the vision we had for the West Point program. I had the opportunity to coach and develop some great young men over the years — several of them I still stay in touch with and hear from today. I’m proud of all the players, past and present, that played for us and humbled that I was able to play a small part in their lives because those guys greatly impacted my life for the better. West Point will still hold a special place in my and my family’s hearts, and we’ll always be thankful for the time the Lord blessed us with there.”

Bryson’s success as a coach is rooted in his playing days at Cullman, where he twice earned first-team All-State honors as a pitcher and helped the program win back-to-back state titles in 2007 and 2008.

He credits his former Bearcat coaches, Bryan Bowen and Brent Patterson, for his development both as a coach and a man.

“Those men had such an impact on my life when I played at Cullman,” Bryson said. “I became a coach because of them. Coach Patterson gave me my first opportunity when I finished my collegiate career and joined his staff. It’s a full-circle moment getting the chance to go back to a place that played such a positive role in my life.”

Bryson’s next task will be unlocking the potential of a softball program that hasn’t reached the state tournament since a run of three straight appearances from 2015-17.

“I’m excited and ready to get started working to build it into a contender,” Bryson said. “I’m a dad of three girls, our oldest two highly involved with travel softball. So I knew at some point I wanted to make the switch so that I could coach them and lead a program they could be part of one day. Our goal is to build a program that positively influences young ladies while instilling a strong work ethic, discipline and a competitive mindset on and off the field. As hard as we are going to work to develop great players, we will work equally as hard to develop great people who will be prepared to succeed in life.”