Tag: Maya Brady

Top 3 finalists for 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of Year revealed

Surprisingly, despite having three players in the Top 10 list, softball powerhouse Oklahoma players were not among the Top 3.

Initially, the field was narrowed down to just ten Division 1 players for the prestigious 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. And now, the field was again narrowed to the Top 3 finalists. The award “aims to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by Division I softball players over the course of the entire season.”

Surprisingly, despite having three players in the Top 10 list, softball powerhouse Oklahoma players were not among the Top 3.

The finalists include Clemson’s Valerie Cagle (ACC), UCLA’s Maya Brady (Pac-12), and Florida’s Skylar Wallace (SEC). Each of these players will be in regional play this weekend.

Clemson’s Valerie Cagle

Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cagle was named a USA Softball Top 10 Finalist in 2021 and is a two-time ACC player of the year. She was also named the freshman of the year in 2021. Cagle is a two-way player and has shined on and off the mound. She has a .457 batting average, .889 slugging percentage and 23 wins in the circle which places her at No. 11 on the NCAA leaderboard.

UCLA’s Maya Brady

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

There have only been two UCLA players to win the award. With Rachel Garcia (2017-21) winning the award twice, in 2019 and 2018, and Stacey Nuveman in 2002. Brady won the 2023 Pac-12 batting title with a .456 average following all conference regular-season games and was named the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year.

Florida’s Skylar Wallace

Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun

Rounding out the finalists is Florida’s Skylar Wallace. She is the 2023 SEC Player of the Year and a three-time SEC Player of the Week. She has a 1.036 slugging percentage which ranks first in the nation. Additionally, her .460 batting average is fifth in the nation.

The player of the year will be announced on May 30 at the athlete banquet prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS).

UCLA’s Maya Brady hit two NCAA softball tournament home runs and got a shoutout from her uncle Tom Brady

Maya Brady crushed two home runs in UCLA’s win-or-go-home game against Oklahoma on Monday.

The UCLA Bruins kept their season alive on Monday afternoon as they handed No. 1 seed Oklahoma its third loss of the season to force a play-in game for a spot in the NCAA championship series. UCLA’s Maya Brady was instrumental in the victory, hitting two home runs and providing five RBI in the Bruins’ 7-3 win.

Brady went 2-for-4 at the plate in the early game on Monday, with both of those hits leaving the park. Maya’s mother, Maureen, is the sister of NFL quarterback Tom Brady, and the Tampa Bay slinger was beyond stoked for his niece.

Tom Brady has been vocal in his support for Maya, even taking a break from The Match to give her a shoutout a few days ago.

The Bruins have won three straight elimination games to keep their postseason hopes alive, with it all coming down to Game 2 against the highly touted Sooners on Monday afternoon.

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Maya Brady hit a pair of homers in the Women’s College World Series semifinal, and Tom Brady loved it

Maya Brady’s uncle is clearly a huge fan.

Maybe the clutch gene is … actually a gene. Maya Brady’s performance in the Women’s College World Series was reminiscent of something her uncle Tom Brady would do in an NFL playoff game.

Brady hit a pair of homers in UCLA’s win over Oklahoma on Monday in the semifinal of the Women’s College World Series. UCLA and Oklahoma will play again on Monday, and the winner will advance to the finals. No matter how UCLA plays in the second game, Brady’s performance in this game will be unforgettable. She was 2 of 4 at the plate with five RBI.

Here’s a look at one of her homers from the afternoon. Her reaction was absolutely electric as she rounded the bases.

Here’s how Tom Brady responded. Tom spoke about how excited he was to watch his niece just last week.

You have to love the family love.

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No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. UCLA Bruins: How to watch, stream, listen, and key players for WCWS

The Oklahoma Sooners continue their journey in the Women’s College World Series against the UCLA Bruins here’s, how you can tune in.

The Women’s College World Series doesn’t get bigger than this. On Monday, two blue blood programs in the world of college softball will meet head to head for the right to go to the WCWS championship.

UCLA, the team with the most national championships all-time (12) will face off with Oklahoma, who has the third most national championships all-time (5).

The Sooners come into the WCWS semi-finals after beating Northwestern and Texas. UCLA dropped their first game of the Women’s College World Series to Texas 7-2 and then bounced back with wins over Northwestern and Florida. In those two wins for the Bruins, they outscored their opponents 14-1.

The Sooners and the Bruins met back in the first week of the season, a 4-1 win for the Oklahoma Sooners. In that pivotal nonconference matchup, Jordy Bahl announced her arrival to the softball world by holding the Bruins to one unearned run on four hits and she struck out 14 batters.

Oklahoma’s offense continues to put up numbers at a ridiculous pace. They’ve outscored opponents 72-7 in the NCAA tournament, averaging 10.28 runs scored per game.

This is an incredible matchup and the stakes are huge. Oklahoma needs one more win to set up an all-Big 12 championship series. UCLA has to beat the Sooners twice to advance and spoil the party.

Here’s how you can tune in to Oklahoma vs. UCLA in the semifinals of the [autotag]Women’s College World Series[/autotag] contest.

  • Date: Saturday, June 6, 2022
  • Time: 11 a.m. CDT
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
  • Radio Broadcast: The game can be heard on 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma and nationwide on The Varsity app.

No. 1 Oklahoma vs UCLA Bruins

Players to watch:

No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners

[autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag]: .500 batting average with 30 home runs, 75 RBIs, 52 walks.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]: .395 batting average with 26 home runs and 78 RBIs, 39 walks.

[autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag]: .415 batting average with 21 home runs and 64  RBIs, 21 walks.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]: .436 batting average with 7 home runs, 38 RBIs, 47 walks, and 13 stolen bases.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag]: 21-1 with a 0.95 ERA, 199 strikeouts in 132.2 innings pitched. 2022 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag]: 15-0 with a 0.99 ERA, 93 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched.

[autotag]Hope Trautwein[/autotag]: 20-1 with a 0.60 ERA, 149 strikeouts in 116 innings pitched.

UCLA Bruins

Delanie Wisz: .409 batting average with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs, 29 walks.

Briana Perez: .394 batting average with 10 home runs, 44 RBIs, 17 walks, and 16 stolen bases.

Kinsley Washington: .354 batting average with 5 home runs, 34 RBIs, 15 walks, and 12 stolen bases.

Maya Brady: .339 batting average with 13 home runs, 48 RBIs, 21 walks, and 11 stolen bases.

Megan Faraimo: 23-5 with a 1.80 ERA, 289 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched.

Holly Azevedo: 21-2 with a 1.28 ERA, 140 strikeouts in 126 innings pitched.

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Tom Brady isn’t the only star athlete in the Brady family

Tom Brady took to Instagram today to congratulate his niece Maya for being named Softball America’s 2020 Freshman Player of the Year.

When sports fans hear the name “Brady” they immediately think about greatness and championships, thanks in large part to six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

But, while the Buccaneers quarterback may be the most famous Brady in sports, he may have competition for that title within his own family once it’s all said and done. Brady’s niece, Maya Brady, is a standout softball player for UCLA, and the proud uncle took to Instagram today to boast about her being named Softball America’s 2020 Freshman Player of the Year.

Take a look.

For the record, Maya’s other uncle is two-time World Series champion Kevin Youkilis, who just so happened to win his titles with the Boston Red Sox.

Yeah, they’re a sports family for sure. Congrats to Maya!

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