The Women’s Softball team at Bellevue College has had a history of success. This can be attributed to both superb coaching and stellar players. One of those players is sophomore pitcher Brielle Bray. Bray is one of the teams most decorated players on the team with her crowing award
being named Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) North Region pitcher of the year in 2013.
Bray started playing softball when she was five years old along with other sports such as basketball and volleyball, among others. She went down the same path as her sisters by becoming a softball pitcher, then stayed when she realized she was good at it, “My sisters were also
pitchers, and it was just something that I found as a niche for me. I was just good at it so I stuck with it,” said Bray. From there, she has become one of the most dominant pitchers in the NWAACC. She currently leads her team in almost every major pitching stat. She leads in wins with 13, strikeouts with 102 and an Earned Run Average (ERA) of 3.68.
She is a natural born leader on her team.However, she prefers the lead-by-example type of leadership. Coach Leah Francis has recognized this about co-captain Bray, “Brielle leads by example and does a good job as a leader maintaining her composure throughout a game.” She leads by example by having a level- head when on the field and knowing the times to be serious and the times to be relaxed. An extension of this is when she is on the mound. She uses a number of tactics to show how dominant of a pitcher she is, “I like to take charge, as far as like getting ahead in counts. I like to think I am pretty resilient as far as if they get a hit. I try to exert confidence by brushing off that hit and going towards the next batter,” says Bray.
Not only is she a dominant pitcher, she is also a strong hitter. She currently is 2nd in batting average in her team with .478 and is 4th on her team in runs batted in (RBI) with 26.
Bray is one of the most consistent players on the BC roster. Her bat and arm have been a major reason why this ballclub is winning games, “Brielle has been a both a solid pitcher and hitter for us the past two seasons. She brings a consistent level of play that allows us to continuously count on her. Her steady performance has been a key factor in helping this team to the level of success that we have had during her time here,” said Coach Francis.
Bray is one of the best overall players in the NWAACC. Her abilities not only help her stat line, but they help and inspire the rest of the team to improve and play better. This is only natural since her life goal is to help people, “I want to help to help people. I am planning on majoring in psychology although I don’t quite know what I am going to do with it yet. My goal is just to help people,” said Bray.
With the BC softball team having practically punched their ticket to the NWAACC tournament, the team can rest easy knowing that they have a strong leader in Brielle Bray ready to help her team win the NWAACC tournament.