Bullard's softball state championship a 'special' moment for Murry family - Tyler Morning Telegraph (original) (raw)

Published 8:33 pm Monday, June 1, 2026

Bullard began playing softball in 1998.

On Friday, Team 29 captured the program’s first state championship with a 3-0 victory over Prosper Richland in the Class 4A Division 1 championship game at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin.

“Our senior class and their families have worked so hard, and it is beautiful to see it come to fruition,” Bullard head softball coach Julie Murry said. “They are deserving young people, and it was great to have a first-hand view to see them reach this accomplishment. And for the younger kids, they also worked extremely hard, and they did a great job and let the seniors lead them through it.”

And for Julie Murry, this was also a moment years in the making.

Julie’s coaching career began in 2001. After graduating from LeTourneau University, she spent three years as an assistant volleyball, basketball and softball coach at Pine Tree High School, working for Mark Comfort.

Julie said she considers Comfort and David Ives, her coach at Slocum High School, as her mentors. Ives was even in attendance at Friday’s game.

Email newsletter signup

Pine Tree’s athletic director at the time, Terry Waldrep, became the AD job at Pittsburg High School and hired Julie as the head girls basketball coach and girls athletic coordinator for two seasons.

Julie then was hired by the late Dickey Meeks as the new head softball coach at Henderson High School, where she spent six seasons.

During her time at Henderson, she married her husband, Brett Murry, in 2010. Their daughter, Madelyn Murry, was born in 2011.

In 2012, Julie led Henderson to the UIL State Softball Tournament in Class 3A at Red and Charline McCombs Field. Henderson defeated Liberty Hill 3-0 to advance to the state championship game before falling to Hudson, 8-4.

Murry then stepped away from coaching with Madelyn turning 1 and her son, Grayson Murry, attending school at the Brook Hill School in Bullard. Murry said she started working at Bullard ISD as a teacher in 2014.

In 2018, Murry joined the late Megan Dobrinski’s staff. After Dobrinski died on Aug. 14, 2019, Murry became the new head softball coach of the Lady Panthers.

In that next season in 2020, Bullard went 13-3-5 before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.

The next season in 2021, the Lady Panthers reached the state tournament out of Region II and lost to state champion Liberty in the state semifinals in a game played at Georgetown East View High School due to inclement weather. In 2022, Bullard got back to the state semifinals, this time back at Red and Charline McCombs Field, losing that time to Sweeny, which fell to Liberty in the Class 4A title game.

The Lady Panthers moved to Region III, and Bullard was eliminated by Liberty in the playoffs in 2023 and 2024 in the regional finals and 2025 in the area round.

This season, Bullard won its final 23 games, culminating in Friday’s state championship victory with Julie Murry (335-93-7) as the head coach, Brett Murry in his second season as an assistant coach and Madelyn Murry as a freshman on the team.

“It’s so special being able to do it with them and my team,” Madelyn said.

“Indescribable,” Julie said. “Just unbelievable. I’m super grateful and super thankful. To God be the glory. Getting to do it with Brett and Maddie is incredible. They’ve seen me work a long time. To accomplish this with them beside me is special.”

“Just seeing Julie’s day-to-day, everything she does for this program and for these kids and everything the kids do on a daily basis and the parents, just to bring it all together for a state championship is just unbelievable,” Brett said. “And for us to be able to share it as a family is just a cherry on top.”