Maya Brady has championship aspirations of her own as UCLA softball opens Super Regionals
It has become clichéd to say that titles run in the family for Maya Brady. The niece of a certain seven-time Super Bowl Champion, Maya Brady has frequently been compared to her megastar uncle.
Hey @RobGronkowski next time you need a ball dropped 600 ft out of the air in Tucson just ask Maya https://t.co/qh8sydpCHT
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) May 14, 2021
But as UCLA softball pushes deeper and deeper into the postseason, it has become clear that Maya is a sensation in her own right. The redshirt freshman became one of the Bruins key contributors as they compiled a 41-4 regular-season record and the No. 2 national ranking. Brady, who is officially listed as a utility player but took over starting duties at centerfield midway through the year, had a fantastic first full season ranking third in home runs (11) and RBIs (32) among UCLA players.
Brady was particularly dominant in UCLA’s final regular season series, in which the Bruins clinched the Pac-12 title, against No. 8 Arizona. Brady hit .500 with a double and two home runs in the series to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors, her second of the year. She capped the season by being named to the Pac-12 All-Conference First Team and the All-Freshman Team.
Congratulations to Maya Brady on being named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week!https://t.co/AVmjERck08#GoBruins
— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) May 17, 2021
After a slow start to the postseason, Brady came alive at the plate in Regionals, going 2-for-3 with a double and scoring one of UCLA’s pivotal runs, as the Bruins held off Minnesota 2-1 to advance to the Super Regionals.
TWO-OUT RALLY!!!!
Garcia singles, Brady doubles and Washington singles in both of them.
2-1 Bruins, T4.
📺 ESPN2#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/X6P7V1fQiE
— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) May 23, 2021
Of course, Brady can hardly take sole credit for the Bruins dominant season. She is just one part of a phenomenal UCLA squad that includes sluggers Delanie Wisz and Briana Perez and two-way star Rachel Garcia, who might be the best collegiate softball player in the country.
After a perfect 3-0 record at Regionals, the Bruins earned the opportunity to host the Super Regionals, where they will play Virginia Tech in a best of three series with the winner advancing to the 2021 Women’s College World Series. Game one starts Thursday, May 27th at 6:30 p.m. PT / 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
One Brady has already won a championship in 2021. If Maya can continue her torrid season, another might be right behind.